Royal Promiscuity
by Frankinscence
Summary: MedeivalHumanAU: Mathias has just been given the most important job of his life, personal guard and knight for the 'Heartless' Prince Nikolas of Norway. His job is to watch over the prince at all times, to protect him, especially on this trip to meet his future bride where many things seem to be going wrong. Someone trying to kill Nikolas, crazy couples, and these weird feelings...
1. Knight and Friend

**A/N: Okay! So! This is my brand spanking new story that I promised! This is a medieval-ish AU. **

**The pairings in this are as follows (In order of mention [or at least in order of how I remember it]): **_**Denmark/Norway**_**, Sweden/Finland , **_**Prussia/Canada**_**, Belgium/Hungary, Switzerland/Austria**_**,**_** Spain/Romano**_**,**_** Germany/Italy, Lithuania/Poland, France/Britain, **_**Hong Kong/Iceland**_**. The ones in **_**italics **_**are actually major players. **

**WARNINGS: In this you may or may not find- swearing, mildly graphic battle scenes, male/male female/female, child abuse (in the past), solicitation of a minor, attempted murder, bunnies, giant battle axes, kidnap, banishment, prison breaks, heartbreak, and a Prussian mouth.**

**Disclaimer: Almost all characters, even in their human form, belong to the creator of Hetalia and I do not own them in any way, shape, or form. I own only the storyline and the OCs. **

**NOW! With that, we can finally move on to the story. **

"Sir Kohler, do you understand the gravity of this situation?"

"Yes, your majesty. No harm will come to the prince while he is under my protection." The knight was down on one knee, the throne meters away with the harsh king sitting upon it, regarding the young knight with a severe look.

"Would you swear this on your life?"

"I would swear it on all I hold dear." The blond kept his head down, remembering the unforgiving stare from earlier as he had entered the lavish throne room.

"Very good. You may tell the prince Nikolas that your journey will be underway presently."

The knight stood and bowed once more to the king before walking swiftly out and to the young prince's chambers. He had heard much about the prince in his short time in the castle and even more while traveling through the vast kingdom to find the castle. He had heard rumors that said the prince was heartless, that he had no emotion. But he didn't believe in such things. Everybody has emotions, even if you don't always show them.

The adventurer knocked on the prince's chamber door, trying to imagine what the man would look like. With his father's looks as a base, he could say that the prince would probably be blond, maybe blue eyes, tall, muscular.

Nikolas heard the knock, and stormy eyes flew to the door. "Enter." His voice carried just enough to reach the other side of the door.

An armored man came into the room, his blonde hair sticking nearly straight up. "Your highness, your father, the king, has instructed me to inform you that your journey is to be underway when you are prepared."

Nikolas gave the man a once-over, scrutinizing his every move. The man's tone was formal. He hated that. But the man in front of him wasn't a messenger. Why would his father send one of the castle knights to give him a message? Nikolas pondered a moment, unknowingly glaring at the man in front of him. Wait, this man wasn't one of the castle knights. He had seen them all from his window, not bothering to train with them with his small frame, thin figure, and soft features; he really wasn't suited to be a fighter. He was a prince, though, and didn't really need to do such things. He had people to fight for him.

The man was still standing there, and it hit Nikolas that he was waiting for a response of some sort. It surprised him a little. No one stayed to listen to what he had to say. They would just tell him what to do and leave. "I am ready now." He stood and made his way over to the door, realizing just how much taller the other was to him. And just how much broader. And how much more muscular. Damn.

Sir Kohler nodded and bowed low to him. "Of course, your highness, we will depart immediately then. If you will follow me." He gestured for Nikolas to do so and the prince nodded, walking alongside the taller man.

The knight led him to the carriage, silent, as was expected of him. The coachmen opened the door for the royal son, and the bulky blond held out a hand to help him into the plush interior. The Dane hopped up to the spot where the driver sat, and they began their way down the road. Nikolas could see the two men up front through a small window near his head. He could see their backs. One was plain with slightly baggy wooly fabric covering it, while the other had soft taut fabric; he could easily see the defined planes in the muscles of the latter's back.

"I assume that you are the guard my father has assigned for this trip?" There was no other reason that he would come along.

"I am, your highness." The blond turned to look at the prince within the depths of the coach.

"What am I to call you?"

"You may call me whatever you wish, but my name is Mathias Kohler." He paused. "There is a point where we must separate from the path. Would you prefer to take the longer or shorter route?"

Nikolas smiled a tiny bit; his opinion was being asked for. That was a nice change. "The long way should be fine. There is no rush."

Mathias nodded and remembered the thing he wanted to ask. "May I make an inquiry, your highness?"

Why was this man still talking? "You may." The others who had taken Nikolas places had never spoken more than a couple words, and this man might have been trying to start up conversation. It wasn't normal.

"Who are you visiting? His majesty, the king, was unable to inform me as to the nature of your visit."

"A potential wife." That was surprising; the prince seemed quite young, unless the king was ill or knew that he was not going to be fit to rule much longer.

Nikolas sighed softly, annoyed with the way his father approached this area of his life. "If it is not to bold, you seem," he searched for the polite way of saying it, "_displeased_ by the situation."

"I am, but it is my duty, so I shall do as told."

Mathias nodded, silently agreeing. "We must all do our duty."

It was an odd feeling for Nik, but they traveled in companionable silence for a long while, occasionally bringing up conversation and even being joined by the apparently cheery driver.

But it wasn't more than four hours since their departure when the carriage went over a bump and – crack! –

Mathias hopped off the seat and immediately pulled open the door. "Your highness, are you alright?"

The prince nodded, picking himself up from the floor from where he fell. "Yes, I'm fine."

"I'm afraid we may have to continue on horseback and send for repairs." He held out a hand and helped the prince down from the tilted room. The wheel was broken. That was incredibly obvious.

Nikolas nodded a little and the knight turned to the driver. "Can you send the message and get the repairs done? The prince and I will go on ahead."

"Sure, son. Make sure to grab things enough for your trip." Mathias bobbed his head in agreement.

"Which of your packs contains clothes you may use for possibly the next few days?" Nikolas just pointed. It was enough for the Dane to pick out that one and gather the other bags needed, then unhitch three of the horses from the carriage and start packing their necessities. "Will you be alright?"

The driver smiled and nodded a little. "Of course!"

Nikolas walked over to the first horse, stroked its nose softly, then hopped up on his own just as the knight was going to ask him if he wanted help. Mat grinned and climbed onto his own horse, waving at the driver before following after the already departing prince.

Mathias wasn't always this professional; he was young, after all, but he didn't want to make a bad impression on the prince. Especially since he was the one guard that was supposed to be around him all the time. He kept quiet, knowing the rumors about Prince Nikolas' temper when it came to unnecessary talking. According to another knight, one of the cockier soldiers had gone up to him and started chattering away about how he was going to surpass all others, including the prince himself, one day.

The soldier had found himself being thrown out the window. Luckily it was only the first floor… or, at least, that was what he had heard.

"You have permission to speak freely." Wow. He had a nice voice, not too light and airy, but not too deep and rough either. It was a nice middle ground.

Back to focus, Mat! "Huh? Oh. Thank you, your highness." Nikolas merely nodded. "Do you know your possible bride?"

"No. It is simply someone my father wishes me to meet should he choose her." He didn't know the girl, nor did he intend to get to know her. This wasn't a love match, it was purely politics.

"You are the proper age, I suppose." Though Mat had grown up in a place of matches that were both politically valued _and_ for love.

"I do not wish to speak of this any further."

"Of course, your highness, forgive my prying."

"You are forgiven." Nikolas stayed quiet a moment, deciding that he didn't want silence from his companion. It didn't suit him well. "Tell me about yourself."

That was unexpected. "What would you like to know?"

Nikolas shrugged. "Whatever comes to mind? Perhaps your family or childhood. I simply wish to distract myself."

"I have a brother named Berwald, and he is also a knight, though he stays with King Väinämöinen and his family. I was sent to your court a week ago, I believe for the purpose of this trip." He paused. "I do not know, sire, there are many things I could say, but there are also many things that it would be foolish to say."

Nikolas frowned at the 'sire' comment. He didn't like his titles much; there were far too many, and none of them had any real meaning behind them. "I understand. I am curious why my father would send out for a knight when we have so many within our own castle."

The Dane shrugged. "I am not sure myself; reputations do not often travel so far so quickly."

"Reputation?" Mat nodded a little. "And what exactly _is_ that reputation?"

"It's not all that important, just a few defeats of mention." Mathias usually could brag all day about his achievements, but with someone of such high esteem it was probably better to refrain. "May I ask another question? It is not about coming events." Nikolas shrugged; he wouldn't answer if it was something he didn't want to anyway. "Are customs different here?"

"That would depend, I suppose."

"On?"

"Which custom you are speaking of in particular."

"Any you are aware of being different from other countries?"

"What I am allowed to do, for one." His tone wasn't exactly pleased with what he had said. "Unless under supervision and between certain times I am not to go outside or be near the water unless traveling. I am only allowed to read certain books. Most matters concerning my opinion are decided for me, so I am not usually allowed to speak freely. It's similar with my actions. It's not to say I have no freedom and my parents are unkind. They just want what's best."

That was certainly a surprise. "That only happens with princesses in my country."

"I know." Nikolas was very aware of that fact. But he was the sole heir to the kingdom, therefore there was more of a risk on letting him get into 'trouble'. He thought that Mathias was going to continue, but even though he opened his mouth to speak, he still stayed silent, closing it quickly.

The wind blowing through the trees, rustling leaves accompanied the huffs of breath from the horses and the soft bird calls around them. But still it was silent. To some.

Nikolas cocked his head to the side and immediately changed course to go find the source of the sudden noise. "Just keep up and you won't get lost," he called behind him, knowing the Dane would follow.

The indigo eyes widened in happiness at the sight of the river, hopping from his horse immediately and tying him quickly to the nearest tree. Mathias caught sight of what he was doing and laughed, following his example. Niko's boots were off in a matter of seconds and he was dipping his bare feet into the cool waters, sitting on the bank, eyes closed to fully enjoy the feel of the clear liquid dance around his toes. "I don't get to do this often enough."

He looked up at the knight, silently inviting him to join him. Mat shrugged, pulled off his clunky black boots, and sat next to him, waiting to see if Nikolas would continue. And he did.

"I can be near it... just not in it. Besides, it never feels the same when you're being rushed or watched with critical eyes."

"It's sad when no one bothers to actually see what a prince might think or actually do." Nikolas nodded a little, then went back to watching the river. "Hey." He nudged him gently. "Wanna go swimming?"

The prince hesitated slightly, then went to his bag, pulling out something to change into after he was done.

"Mind if I join you?"

"If you wish."

***Awesomely transitioning***

"If it is a single person, don't get off your horse. Let me dispatch him, and then we can continue on. If there are two or three, get off your horse and immediately stand behind me and to either side a few feet away. If it is a large group of five or more, turn around and ride away as fast as you can. I can take care of it, but I would not have you in such a venerable position."

Nikolas nodded a little. "I understand. There is no reason to make your job more difficult."

The Dane puffed out a breath of air. "Many of the people I have accompanied do not know the term 'self-preservation'."

"Do not get me wrong. I do not like the idea of leaving you behind, but I understand my position and the trouble it would cause should I be hurt."

"Thank you." He paused and thought to where their trip would lead. "I know you said that you did not want to talk about this earlier, but are there any specific reason why you would be averse to marrying the princess? Is it the love aspect that is missing?"

Nikolas shrugged. "There's that and the fact that it's something I would prefer to choose for myself. Besides..."

"Besides what?" He had the knight's curiosity peaked.

"I know I can never truly love her or any other woman."

Mathias cocked his head to the side slightly. "Are you planning on entering the priesthood?"

"No."

"I am confused."

"How so?"

"I am unsure of what you mean. What makes you so sure that you will never truly love a woman?"

"Because I feel little attraction to them."

"Then what does attract you?"

"Men."

…

…..

"Oh." Mat tried not to seem too surprised or confused. It wasn't like he hadn't seen examples of this kind of lifestyle before. Nikolas was not even the first prince he had heard of who chose such a lifestyle.

"I know I cannot follow that path, but it is the truth."

"Not many can."

Nikolas sensed what he thought was the beginnings of disgust. "It was foolish of me to even bring it up."

Danish locks moved back and forth as he shook his head. "No. You may tell me anything. I am here for you, you know. Does the king know?"

"No. It would bring shame upon him and our kingdom."

That confused Mat again. What could possibly be so bad about that? "Only for the fact that you would not produce an heir?"

"That is only one problem, the other being his blatant disallowance and dislike of the practice." His father was quite adamant that people like him weren't welcome. Anywhere.

Mat's easily expressive face showed his dislike of that statement. "So that's why." He rolled his eyes a little. "Though I guess Tino is happier with this." Nikolas looked over curiously and the knight caught it. "As much as I hate to admit it, my brother, Berwald is better than me in a few things related to being a knight, but he is currently courting the crown prince of our country, Tino. It is widely known. Now I know why Berwald was not chosen for this assignment."

Nikolas nodded curtly and turned back to the road. "Ah."

They returned to the quiet for only a minute or two before Mathias got curious. "What kind of men are you interested in? If it is not too bold to ask."

Nik looked over at him, half confused and half indignant. "Why does such a thing matter to you?"

"I'm not sure."

"Then don't let it concern you. I have said all I will."

***Awesomely transitioning***

"Can I be your friend?"

"I suppose." He paused. "I must ask what you seek to gain by being my friend. Is it the money? The prestige?"

Mathias shook his head. "Those are material reasons."

To Nikolas there was no wrong in that. "Yes."

"That's not friendship, though." He paused, studying the stormy eyes in front of him across the small campfire. "You don't have to have ulterior motives, you know."

Nik shrugged, his shadow flickering in the soft light. "It is almost always the case for me, though.

I'm a prince. I expect it." He looked up to lock gazes with the sea glass eyes. "So what's your reason?"

"You're nice." There was no trace of dishonesty in those eyes. "Do I need any other reason?" He kept his voice low. Quiet seemed unusual for the Dane, but somehow this seriousness could suit him if he tried.

He couldn't take those eyes, seeming to read his every thought, somehow able to sink into him with every second they stayed connected. Nikolas suddenly stood, needing away from those piercing eyes. "I think I'm going to go to sleep now."

Mathias nodded, watching the prince get into his tent. "Good night, your highness."

The bright sliver of moon shone high in the sky, moving into its highest spot of the night. Mat could feel it, reflecting off his armor, eyes closed, just listening to the night.

A rustle was heard, and blue eyes flew open. Whispers seemed to be flowing through the trees nearby, maybe three people total.

"Is this where that brat went?"

"Shut your gob! The guard might hear!"

"Both of you! Get down!"

Mathias didn't move a single muscle, watching the trio out of the corner of his eye, and when they attempted to hide, he stood as silently as one can when wearing as much metal as he was. "Who are you and who sent you?" He bent and picked up his two-headed battle axe, standing it up on its black hilt.

One of the trio hopped up. "We'll never tell!" Mathias's axe swung, nearly coming in contact with the two 'hidden' ruffians.

"Shhhhh." His grin could only be described as feral. "The prince is sleeping, you know." The thugs jumped back, falling over themselves with soft shouts of surprise. Maybe there was a reason the prince only had _one_ guard. "It might be in your _best_ _interest_ to tell me."

What seemed to be the youngest of them was closest to the blade, feeling it press against his neck with a threatening air. "I-I-I is just a knight! King Silovice sent us!"

"Why does king Silovice want to get rid of the prince?" The sharp edge dug further into the flesh of his throat, a red line forming.

"He didn't say! I swear I'm not lying!" He tried to back up, but his buddies were hiding behind him. None of them were trained knights, but King Silovice had told them that if they were under any kind of pressure, they were to claim knighthood.

"Tell the king that the prince is under the protection of Sir Kohler now, and his little attempts to thwart my duty will be dealt with slowly and painfully."

They nodded quickly and scrambled off, hoping that they wouldn't be in too much trouble because of it.

Mathias sat back down at his post.

"Is someone there?" The prince's soft voice floated out of the small tent.

"No one but me and the trees, my prince." Mathias smiled softly to himself. "Get some rest; we have a long day tomorrow."

And all was silent once again.

**A/N: Hey guys! So what did you think? Good enough for a first chapter? Are you sensing the love yet? No? Good! So this is my new baby and although I still don't give a flying f*** whether you want to flame it, I'm still really liking this one so far and I hope I haven't promoted this one so much that it didn't live up to expectation. **

**BTW: For all of the more serious things in this, there will be a warning at the top of the chapter or before the section. It will be in all CAPS in bold so don't worry too much about seeing something that you aren't comfortable with.**

**Thank you to all of my fantabulous friends, TodaysDream, WhitewolfRaven, somebody's world, TenajguoH and BugphobicCanada for giving me lots of love and running me like cattle drivers when I was bad. Also thank you to anyone who actually reads the crazy long author's notes I put up. **

**Please Review! Please let me know what you think!**

**Lots of love, **

**Tasha**


	2. Knight and Healer

**A/N: Thank you so much for waiting! Writer's block is horrible. Seriously. Anyways, thank you to the following for reviewing and favoriting and all that jazz: , just a dennor lo, spellmaster500, PinkWhalePJs, MrGuiltyrose, JitteryJenna, ForbiddenTwilit, StorfenglegurStelpa21, Lillian Marie439, Annym Norge, ThexDarkenedXLight, OneHellOfAJoker, Vampire Catfish1, DFWMSeme, and Asta Steilson-Bondevik! You guys all rock! And until I put these all up here I honestly didn't realize how many of you there were…**

It had taken a few days, but they had crossed from Swedish territory through the Baltic Sea and were currently in an outlying area of Prussian lands. "For how long have you trained and been a knight?"

Mathias smiled a bit. "I started training when I was five, and I was knighted when I was seventeen." He started training with his father and continued it with his older brother. They had even been knighted together.

"And how old are you now?"

"Twenty-one. You are nineteen, correct?" Honestly, the Norwegian looked younger than nineteen in body but hundreds of years older in soul. You could see it in those endless eyes of his. Nikolas nodded a little. "Are you turning twenty soon, or did you recently turn nineteen?"

"Recently nineteen. How about yourself?"

"About halfway to either."

The conversation seemed to die out until the Dane opened his big mouth again. "Are you interested in older or younger men?"

"I... That doesn't concern you."

He didn't want to be rude, but it was something he wanted to know, even if he didn't know _why _he wanted to. "I was only curious..."

"Be curious silently." He kept his face blank, feeling his ears burn a little. Luckily for him, his blond locks fell over them.

"I am sorry for my indiscretion." He paused, wondering how that could make him uncomfortable. "Why does it bother you when I ask such things?"

"Because."

"Because why?"

"Because they are private matters. You have no need to know." It was completely unprofessional for him to be asking such things.

"Even if I can help?"

"Help?"

"Find someone for you. Just because you have to marry some princess does not mean you have to be void of love." Mathias wasn't a believer in 'Suck it up, deal with it.' He firmly stuck to the idea that anyone could find love, no matter the circumstances.

Apparently Nikolas was to be contented with his lot, even if it made him miserable. No matter how tempting Mat's offer was to him. "No."

The knight sighed softly. "As you wish, your highness."

The crunching of leaves and twigs beneath the horses' hooves accompanied the huffy breath of the large animals. Mat really didn't like silence. And Nikolas didn't like it when Mathias was silent. He got all twitchy and wiggly in his saddle. Even if he loved nothing more than the quiet, Mathias silent was much more annoying than Mathias talking. "What... about yourself?"

"What do you mean?"

"Who are you attracted to?"

That was not expected, but, Mathias supposed, Nikolas wasn't exactly predictable. "I've never really had a huge preference either way." He shrugged, thinking back to his brother. "I've never actually seen what the big fuss is all about with choosing and all that. Love is love, right?" He smiled at the Norwegian. Said Norwegian was giving him a look he couldn't quite decipher. "What? It doesn't make sense why people think it's odd or shameful. Honestly, it's more common than most want to admit."

Nikolas shook his head a little, inwardly amused. "Perhaps." He swiveled back to the road, confusing the Dane even further.

For Mathias it was quite mystifying being around the Norwegian. It had only been a few days since they met, but it was like everything the prince said was a puzzle. A puzzle that Mathias couldn't figure out. Probably ever.

"Are we close to a town?" Nikolas was getting tired of riding. They had been at it for too many hours.

Mat shrugged a little, "If we ride for another couple of hours, we will come upon a small village." But they would have to ride until nightfall if they wanted to make any sort of progress in this venture. They'd be staying with a friend of his, and the very thought made him smile a little.

A comment came from the side. "You smile a lot."

Mathias turned a little. "Because I am happy a lot."

"What makes you happy?" What could be called curiosity crept into the Norwegian's voice.

The Dane had to consider it for a moment. What really made him happy? "Lots of things, happy people, good situations, cheer, pretty days, small animals, laughter, nice people, nice things, generosity, a battle gone right, children... Family." He loved his family more than anything. It was hard to think about them sometimes. He shook his head to clear it. "What makes you smile?"

Nikolas didn't even have to ponder it. He knew exactly what made him happy. "Knowing I mean something to someone, being cared for, and being free."

'_Being free of what, though?' _

***Awesomely transitioning***

"What is it like where you live?"

"Flat. Very, very flat. Hills here are like mountains back home."

Nikolas had never been in Denmark before. According to his father, there was no need to have talks of alliances until all of the fighting was done. "Hey Mathias? When our journey is over, are you still going to be my guard?"

Mathias nodded once, but stopped, thinking it over. "Well... I'm not entirely sure, to be honest. If I do well on this assignment, then probably so. Usually a personal guard stays with their charge until one of them dies or the charge specifically requests a new guard. But because of the nature of your status it could be subject to change. Though, now that I think about it, it's more likely that I would be a guard for you in the long term because of payoffs, bribes, blackmail and easily swayed characters."

"Do you want to remain my guard?"

"Yeah."

"Why?"

"Because we're friends, right? Friends stick together."

***Awesomely transitioning***

Darkness had fallen once again, shrouding the town in a deep shadow. A man was on the ground, chest being pressed down by a heavy boot. "Who this time?" The downed man kept his silence, glaring at the knight. "Oh, okay, that's how you want this to go." He leaned in, pressing a bit harder, quickening the other's breath. "If so, then I want to let you know that I can torture you for two weeks straight before you die and not even a second will be painless." A wolfish grin teased around the knight's lips.

The man spat up at his captor. "Your threats mean nothing."

"It wasn't a threat. It was a promise." The tip of his sword came to rest under the man's chin, indenting into the man's skin.

"King Silvoce."

"I thought so. You seem a _tiny_ bit more intelligent than your predecessors. Why does he want the prince dead?"

"Our king wants his revenge against his father for abandoning him in battle. Our prince died because of him, so the proper means of revenge is obvious." His words were hurried, the metal against his throat drawing blood.

"Thank you for your cooperation. Now," He dragged the blade against his neck then his chest, again and again, just enough to be painful, just enough to keep him alive. "If you can fix yourself up, tell your king that he will _not_ be getting anywhere with that stupid line of thought. I'm his protector now."

"A-and who are you?" He asked with a gasping breath.

"The Wolf of the North."

***Awesomely transitioning***

In the bright morning light streaming into the inn through the large glass windows, you would see two men speaking, one obviously of the higher class, the other most definitely a warrior. To see them eating breakfast together would be odd, but the friendly air about the warrior would shrug off all of those questions.

"Do you mind if I ask a question?"

"You may."

"This princess, do you have _any_ choice in the matter?"

"No. It is purely on what kingdom my father wishes to have the strongest alliance with."

Mathias sighed. "That's too bad. Everyone deserves to find love, you know?"

Nikolas looked out the window to the town outside, slowly waking up. "Where might our next stop be?"

"Depending on our speed, either another night in the woods or the house of a friend of mine who has given us an invitation to stay."

"Who is this friend of yours?" The prince really didn't want to know what kind of friends Mathias _could_ have.

This was actually one of the friends that he had that Mat thought the Norwegian might approve of. "Matthew Williams. Quiet boy but very nice, very generous." And judging by the look of surprise from him, Mat had gotten the right idea in his head.

***Awesomely transitioning***

"We are about an hour from Mattie's place." Nikolas nodded in acknowledgement. "Is there anything you wish to know about him, your highness?"

"His social standing, family, line of work, and anything else you believe I should know."

"Well he's not a royal, his father is a famous chef, he has a twin brother who is a soldier in your father's army - a captain, I believe. His mother passed when he and his brother were born. He is a healer, quite shy and soft-spoken. In his last letter about a month ago he said he was in love, but he did not mention with whom. His cabin is far away from people because of his aversion to crowds, he is almost as good a cook as his father, and I think that about sums him up."

"How did you meet?" It was curious that Mathias could know so many different people, especially considering how young he was. How had he gone so many places?

"He grew up near my brother and I, so we looked out for Matthew. His brother was so loud and pronounced that Mattie got pushed aside a lot. We made sure that he stayed happy, and even when we left for training we kept in touch, a couple letters a month catching up and making sure he was okay. When I came back he visited often until he moved out here and I came out to see him a few times." Mat smiled at the memories. Matthew was more like his little brother than the friend he helped when they were younger.

"I am interested in meeting him." The Dane nodded. He thought that they would get along pretty darn well; they held many of the same ideals, and maybe that was why Mattie hadn't told him who this person he loved was. But hopefully he knew that Mat would support him no matter what.

The only sound that accompanied the two until they approached the cabin was the soft thump of the horses' hooves hitting the soft soil.

"Is that his home?" A rather large cabin had come into their field of vision, covered in a thick layer of moss and ivy, surrounded by large trees. You could almost believe that it had been there forever, never having been occupied or disturbed by humans, but a small curl of grey smoke out of the chimney would suggest otherwise.

"Yeah. That's it. For some reason it _always_ smells like maple in there." Mathias chuckled softly at the thought.

They got close enough to dismount and tie up their horses at the water trough.

"Mathias?"

Mat spun around and grinned. "Mattie!" He hugged the young man with long blond hair. "You got taller since I saw you last!"

The blond laughed softly, and somehow Nikolas could assume everything he did was that. Soft. "Who's your friend?"

Nikolas decided that this new person wasn't to know that he was a royal. It would ruin his image. And someone who didn't call him sire, your highness, or prince was a welcome change. "I am Nikolas."

A kind smile graced the blond's lips. "Hello, it's wonderful to meet you. As the loud one said, I am Matthew. Would you like to come in?"

They nodded. "Please."

"I was just about to see if- um, never mind. Are you hungry?" He caught himself, but it was pretty obvious to the both of them something was going on.

The Dane gave him a look. "Wait, wait, wait, see if what?"

"Um -"

Pale arms wrapped around the man's waist, pulling him back into a hard chest, holding him tight. "Hey birdie~! What do you say we do something _special_ tonight? I know you want to..." The face attached to the arms plopped itself on Matthew's shoulders, red eyes glinting with mischief and the grin, nearing predatory.

**A/N: Okay, so now who can guess who that is? XD **

**Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I swear I will try really hard not to take as long with the next one! I've written a bunch in this I promise! I just haven't written any of the upcoming chapters… As a mention this is going to be about 34 chapters unless I split one in half. I do have everything ready and set out, and all the chapter names are ready and everything except the writing is out…. Sorry! I'll try really hard to write it! Cause I love this one so much, the drama, the love, the fluff, the horror, and just everything this story will be!**

**Thank you to all of my buddies! WhitewolfRaven, BugphobicCanada, TenajguoH, and TodaysDream. Thank you immensely to my amazing and perfect beta somebody's world for putting up with my lateness and writer's block. **

**Please review! Even if it's just to say hi after that really long break.**

**Lots of Love To You All!**

**EDIT!: So apparently none of my transitions make it through so now there shall be this *Awesomely transitioning* every time instead of my wonderful lines**


	3. Knight and Prince

**A/N: I hope this didn't take too long for you guys this time. **

**Thank you for reviewing/favoriting/following: , Lukas Kohler, AILOVE-withcake2, NordicFlags, symphony1411, SillyKwado, **

Nikolas blinked in surprise at the new arrival. "Excuse me?"

The Dane could only glare at the white-haired man hanging himself all over Mattie. "Mattie? Who is this?"

The little blonde was trying to maneuver himself out of his grip. "Gil! We have company!" He looked very uncomfortable, and Mathias' "big brother" instincts were going into overdrive.

The man with the white hair seemed to just notice the pair and appeared quite annoyed at their presence. "The awesome me is known as Gilbert. Now who are you not-as-awesome people?"

"My name is Nikolas." Though the prince was not sure what to think of the situation.

Mat cracked his knuckles leisurely, glaring the man known as Gilbert down. "I'm Mathias, Mattie's older brother. You and me are gonna talk later."

"Mathias!" Matthew tried to reason. "That isn't necessary!"

"Oh, yes it is."

Gilbert just stared. "Oh. Hi?" He had had a problem with Mattie's _other_ older brother, and that had not gone well for anyone involved. His hands went up in surrender as the glare from the Dane got more _'I will kill you and have no remorse in doing so.'_

Mattie watched the knight's hands unclench a little and sighed softly in relief. "Shall we go inside, then?"

Inside the house, everything was neat, clean, and mostly uncluttered. The furniture was all carved wood that Mathias's brother had done for the little blonde when he made the house. Mattie had insisted that the large house would make him feel lonely and that there was no reason to go to such a fuss. But Berwald had stopped listening after about two minutes of protest. There was no stopping him, and when he told the boy that he was doing it for the practice, Mattie couldn't help but feel bad about trying to stop him and just let Berwald be, even if he felt it was far too much.

Almost all the cushions and covers had been done by either Matthew's adoptive father or by the blonde himself. The books on the shelves had been sent to him by his older brother. They were mainly adventure books that he wanted Mattie to read and think of him doing all the heroic deeds. But there was the occasional medicine or plant book for him to read that Alfred had sent when actually thinking of his brother's preferences.

The whole house smelled like maple. At all times you could count on it smelling as such. The first reason for this was that Berwald had used maple trees for the wood for Mattie's house. The second was that Mattie found a way to make his own maple syrup and cooked it in his house as often as he needed, which was often.

The fire in the corner fireplace warmed the house, giving the whole place a cozy feeling. But without the blonde in the room, it seemed less so. He gave most of the personality to the house.

"You must be hungry after riding all day. I'll go make up something for dinner." Mattie smiled and headed into the kitchen, the albino following like a puppy.

"Make pancakes, Birdie!" A soft laugh followed the request.

Mathias took a deep breath through the nose. "See what I mean about the maple?"

Nikolas nodded.

In the kitchen, Gilbert's arms were around the blonde's waist as he mixed the ingredients in a bowl. "So what do you think about those two?"

"What do you mean?" Mattie maneuvered himself out of the albino's arms to get around his kitchen.

Gil leaned against a non-essential counter. "Think we can hook them up? Maybe it'd get the not-so-awesome guy off my back."

Mattie thought about it for a moment. "I don't know about Nikolas, but I think I see something on Mathias's side."

"Maybe we can make something work." The grin upon Gil's face could only be described as mischievous, as were many of the smiles that graced the albino's lips.

Mattie smiled back. "It's definitely a good idea. What to do, though?"

Gil snapped his fingers. "I've got it!" And he started explaining his awesome plan.

***A little bit of awesome transitioning***

Gil reached out for the plate in the middle of the table.

"Gilbert, you of all people know the rules," Matthew chastised while he started serving the others.

Nikolas looked to the other blonde. "Thank you."

"Do I get pancakes now?"

"You're welcome." Mattie smiled softly. "Silly Prussian," he said with a loving roll of the eyes at Gilbert.

Mathias raised an eyebrow at Gil. "You're Prussian?"

Gil nodded and snagged his pancakes, grinning. "Gilbert, for whatever reason, left his castle for this little cabin in the woods."

That was weirdly put. "What do you mean?"

Gil laughed. "Technically I'm a prince."

That piqued Nikolas's interest. "Of what kingdom?"

Through a mouthful Gil answered. "Bielshmidt."

Nik nodded, remembering the story. "I've heard of it."

"Why do you say technically?"

Mattie sat down, placing the syrup on the table. "When he left, he kind of passed up the crown, but if he comes back he gets to be king when his father passes."

The Prussian shrugged. "My brother Ludwig is more suited to that role anyways. Besides, it's so much more awesome here." He took another mouthful. "So how long you two here for?"

"Tonight."

"Only tonight?"

Nikolas nodded once. "We have to be somewhere as soon as possible."

The rest of dinner passed without incident, unless you count Gilbert being smacked on the head with a spatula for his manners an incident.

After the table had been cleared, Mattie was showing Nikolas where he would be sleeping that night, and Mathias had no interruptions in which to talk to the albino.

"So, _Gilbert, _I believe this would be the proper time for our talk."

"Yeah." He was rightfully wary of the knight before him; he was super tough, but this guy had a few inches on him and a lot more buffed-up-ness.

"Have you met Alfred?" Alfred was Mattie's older twin brother who had gone off to become a soldier for the Norwegian army. He would have gone to the English one, but he had to get away from home and it was closer to Mattie. He was incredibly over-protective and very hot tempered.

"Yes, why? You're not going to give me the whole speech again, are you?" He had gotten that from Alfred already, and it was not pleasant. He couldn't stop seeing Mattie in Al's face, and seeing the anger really wasn't awesome. Especially not when he didn't mean the youngest brother any harm.

"The 'if you do anything to hurt him, I will kill you' speech?" Gilbert nodded. Mathias grinned darkly and pulled out his hunting knife, playing with it idly, sending an invisible shudder down the prince's spine. "No. I wouldn't kill you. I would torture every last ounce of strength, will power, and blood out of your body, starting with your appendages, then I would leave you to Alfred."

Gil backed up a step. "I already promised I won't hurt him!"

The dark smile stayed on Mathias's lips. "Good. Then we'll get along wonderfully."

The Prussian nodded. "I'm going to go check on Mattie." And up the stairs he went.

"You do that." And the knife was placed back in its sheath. This was his favorite part of being a big brother.

Nikolas and Matthew were quietly chatting about the journey when Gilbert burst in whining. "Birdie! He is so not awesome! What is it with your family trying to kill me?"

Mattie sighed and looked up from his seat. "They're just protective. It's all very sweet if you think about it."

"My life being threatened isn't sweet!"

The youngest blonde got up and patted the top of Gilbert's head. "They wouldn't actually kill you unless you did something bad."

"And you know I won't!"

Mattie smiled sweetly at his lover. "Then you shouldn't be worried." He turned to the Norwegian resting on the bed. "We'll leave you to rest. You had a long day of travel, I'm sure." And he dragged the Prussian out, closing the door behind them.

Gil grinned. "So do I get to let them know they're sharing a room now?"

Mattie smiled, a glint of mischief flashing behind his glasses. "If you want to tell them_. Or_ we could just surprise them."

The albino's grin got even bigger. "I love you so much." The blonde laughed and kissed him, pulling him back downstairs.

Mathias yawned, "Hey Mattie?"

He nodded. "Follow me." He started leading Mathias through the house, getting him lost in the unnecessarily large cabin and then indicated to a closed door, "There you go."

"Thanks, Mattie. Goodnight, Gilbert." He walked in, and as soon as he stopped inside the doorway the door closed and locked behind him.

Nikolas looked over, covering his exposed pale skin up as he had been changing. "Can I help you with something?" A faint blush brushed the Norwegian's cheeks, and Mathias could only think of how weirdly beautiful the prince was. He was frozen for a full second, just staring at his charge, taking in the sight. But all of a sudden he realized what he was doing, straightened, and turned around.

"Oops! Mattie must have gotten the wrong room." He turned the doorknob to leave, but it wouldn't open. "That's odd…."

"What do you mean 'odd'?" Nikolas asked from across the room.

Mattie called through the door. "I'm sorry, you two, that door has a tricky lock, and I'm afraid I don't know where the key is."

"Well, I would suggest finding it," Nikolas started with a warning tone.

"Yeah," the Prussian started with a soft chuckle. "We'll do that."

Nikolas sighed as he heard the two leave the doorway. He glanced to his guard. "Stay there. I'm going to finish changing."

"Will do." He wasn't a peeping tom, not even for someone as gorgeous as Prince Nikolas. Besides, he had already looked.

Nikolas slipped on his nightshirt. "I assume we will be staying in here tonight."

Mathias nodded a few times before realizing Nik probably couldn't see him. "I think so."

The prince sighed again. "I guess one night is okay."

"If you prefer, I can take the floor."

"We can share. The bed is big enough." Well, that was surprising. Mathias really wasn't expecting that to come out of the prince's mouth. So far his impression was that, though the prince was pretty calm about things, he was still quite shy. "I haven't shared a bed since I was little… Depending on the company, it's nice, I guess."

Mathias nodded, hearing the rustle of the covers that signaled Nikolas's climbing under the covers, so he pulled off his bulky armor pieces, placing them on the bedside table. He leaned over and blew out the candle on the table and sat down on the bed.

"Lie down." The knight slipped into the bed, not allowing himself to touch the Norwegian next to him. But it seemed as if the other had different ideas, scooting closer, with the excuse, "You're warm."

They fell into a gentle sleep, getting closer for warmth until Mathias's arm wove itself around the prince's middle. Only the light of the morning could wake these two from their slumber, and it was the best sleep either had had in a very long while.

When Nikolas awoke, he pulled himself from the knight's grasp regretfully, wishing he could stay in the older man's hold. He rather liked his guard, quite more than he probably should.

***Awesomely transitioning***

Nikolas sighed softly.

"Are you alright?"

"I meet the princess next."

Mathias nodded, puffing out air. He wasn't as eager to get Nikolas to the princess quickly anymore. Something that Gil had said rang through his head. _Seriously, if you can't see the way he looks at you… Well then maybe you don't deserve to know. Especially with you doing the same when he isn't looking._

Nikolas glanced over to his guard, who seemed to be concentrating on something. Said guard turned his head, sensing the staring, and their eyes met, something clicking within Mathias. Could it be what Gilbert was talking about?

Mat shook his head a little, eyes going back to the road. "You seem troubled by more than the usual situation, my prince. Would you like to talk about it?"

"It's just an impossible idea. Forget it." The Norwegian was tense, for a moment he thought – no. He needed to stop thinking like that. He would never be happy. It was just how things worked.

"Please tell me?" The Dane cared. It showed in more than the expression Nikolas was ignoring.

"I wouldn't know how." He could sense the curiosity bubbling up within the knight and sighed again. "You can figure it out on your own."

"How?"

Nikolas thought for a moment. "I'll give you a hint. I have never and can probably never do it. Hopefully I wouldn't be alone, either." Mathias started pondering hard. "It doesn't matter if you figure it out anyways. Like I said, it's an impossible idea."

The sight of horses coming over the crest of the next ridge appeared in their vision, closing in quickly. Mathias sighed softly. "Again?" Nikolas hadn't been awake the past two times, but he had been made aware of the situation.

"Apparently." Arrows started flying in their direction as the men got closer.

"Get off the horse." Nikolas did as told for once, without question. He may have been stubborn, but Mathias was the expert here, not him. The knight slid down off his own horse, Maybell, putting them both in front of the prince.

"Stay safe."

"I'll be fine. Worry about your safety first."

Six men were quickly surrounding them, weapons drawn. "Go! Leave now!" Mathias pulled out his sword, already going after the first man to challenge him. Nikolas hesitated a moment. Mat turned slightly. "GO!" Nik needed no more reason and dashed off.

One of the men noticed and went off after him. Mathias spun around, throwing a knife that lodged in the following attacker's neck, making him fall to the ground.

The Dane turned back to the remaining four men. "Let me guess. King Silovice?"

"Of course. But it doesn't matter, for you have lost." Mat grabbed him and stabbed him through the throat, dropping him to the ground with a sickening thud, the other three men going after him all at once.

They were simple, of course; they had no real training like Mathias's own. But as he counted the bodies, he couldn't find the sixth man. "Nikolas!"

"Here!" A surprised cry came from the prince as his shoulder was hit by the scrape of a knife.

Mathias ran towards the voice, grabbing a bow from one of the bodies and firing at the last man, who fell to the hard earth, his blood staining the ground. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"You were injured. Where?"

Nikolas shook his head. "It's just a scrape…"

Mathias took a deep breath. "Well, let's wrap it up just in case. We don't want it to fester."

The prince nodded once. "And yourself?"

"I did not fare as well as I'd hoped." Mathias was never uninjured in a fight, but he could handle it. "We ought to get back to the horses."

They started walking back, the knight trying to hide how the wound on his chest pained him. He would take care of it later, when the prince could not see. It would not bode well for the prince to see his guard affected by pain. They returned to their horses and Mathias helped the Norwegian onto his before checking the other party's bags for anything that could help them in any way. There were a few bandages, but other than that, they seemed to have only been packed for a day's journey.

Mathias hopped onto Maybell, wincing as the movement pulled the edges of his cuts. They were able to make it to another river before stopping again, allowing the horses rest and water. The knight went to gather firewood, deciding that as the sun was going down very soon, they could make camp here.

"Stop."

Mat swiveled to look at the prince. "What's wrong, your highness?"

"Show me your wounds." Mathias paused and then pulled off his shirt, exposing the gash. "Stay here." Nikolas went to his pack and pulled out the aid kit, pushed the Dane down into a sitting position, and kneeled in front of him to start washing the dried blood off.

Mat winced a little at the feeling of the cloth brushing the tender edges of the cuts. "Thank you, your highness." Nikolas just nodded. He wanted to help.

***Awesomely transitioning***

"Did you figure it out?"

Mathias paused. What if he had it right? Worse – what if he had it wrong and made a fool of himself, wrecking his chances of ever getting his life properly on track? "I.…" He shook his head. "I don't know." He watched Nikolas's eyes fall. "You said it was impossible. Why?"

"Because I can't allow myself to and because it won't be accepted. It's simply impossible."

The crackle of the fire filled the silence. "I have learned that nothing is impossible." Nikolas stayed quiet. "Hey, do you trust me?"

"Yes."

"And you know I would let no harm come to you if I could prevent it?"

"What are you getting at, Mathias?"

"Just, please... Answer me."

"Yes."

Mathias leaned down a little so he could truly look the prince in the eyes. "Nikolas…" He placed a hand on the smaller man's cheek.

"Mathias?" His words were barely a whisper.

A whisper cut off by the press of Mathias's soft lips against his own.

**A/N: And that's the end of that chapter! You guys probably hate me for doing chapter ends like that but I **_**love**_** doing it to you! It gives me a sense of glee like no-other~! Either way, I hope you liked this one and please let me know all of your thoughts in a nice review~! The only reason I ask for those silly things is to make sure you actually like it!**

**Also a note, many people believe that maple trees reside in Canada alone. Even in our universe you can find them all over Europe so that part is actually correct that Berwald made his house our of maple wood. **

**OH! And I don't care if pancakes are historically correct. This is an alternative universe and if I want pancakes, I will have pancakes in it! **

**Thank you to all of my buddies! WhitewolfRaven, BugphobicCanada, TenajguoH, and TodaysDream. Thank you immensely to my amazing and perfect beta somebody's world for putting up with my lateness and writer's block. (if you hate me for being late, you guys have to love her for keeping me on track!)**

**Lots of Love to All!**


	4. Knight and Princess

**A/N: Please don't kill me! I swear that I haven't given up on this! And I promise that eventually I will be able to update quicker! Thank you to: NordicFlags, Lukas Kohler, , Bowbowbow, BlackRapunzel, amichalap, i-Spit-on-Fire, yaoifurevah, SoraWithAnX, and riddlingitup. **

The knight's lips were soft, the warm touch trying to melt the Norwegian prince from the inside out. Nikolas couldn't move for a moment, not until the other's strong arms wrapped around him, holding him in a close embrace. His own arms came to encircle the Dane's neck, but he pulled away a little from the kiss. "Why?"

"I like you. I like you a lot."

"Good." And Mathias found himself being pulled in again for another press of his lips against the other's. Nikolas may have had little to no experience with this kind of thing, but Mat was still captivated by him.

Only when air was absolutely necessary did they slowly separate, arms still tightly wound around their partner, smiling softly at each other. But a thought came to Mat, popping his happy bubble. "This could never work… Could it?"

The prince paused, knowing which answer was logical and another that was smart for his own heart. Screw logic. "I don't know. But I am willing to try."

"You are?" Mathias had definitely expected Nikolas to be completely against them, for propriety's sake if nothing else. Nikolas just nodded, and Mat grinned wider, picking up his charge and spinning around in a circle with a laugh.

The Norwegian squeaked and smacked his arm. "Put me down!" Mat quickly did, looking sheepish. Nikolas just rolled his eyes a little. "Idiot."

They settled back down next the fire, leaning against one another. "Only a few days left." Nikolas's voice was soft, not wanting to ruin the quiet. Though with the Dane around, the quiet wasn't going to last for long.

"Three or four. If we make good time, though, more like two and a half."

***Not So Awesomely Transitioning***

Unfortunately for the both of them, they were at the castle at noon of the third day.

Awaiting them was the king of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a jovial man, quite the people person, loved by his people, and a proud father of a male heir, Prince Roderich, who was well equipped for the job, though not so outwardly happy as his father.

"Welcome, Prince Nikolas!" King Alexis boomed, smiling wide at the young man and his escort. "It is good to finally see you. Tell me, how was your journey here?"

The prince bowed in respect. "There was some trouble with a rival kingdom, but otherwise it was calm and easy."

Mathias held back a grimace. Calm and easy didn't quite explain what they had gone through. He had many bruises and cuts to prove that it wasn't _"calm and easy."_

The king nodded, having expected this. "We will worry about this other kingdom later, but for now, there is someone I would like you to meet." The King Alexis was also the father of a young lady, Princess Elizaveta. She was beautiful girl. With long chestnut hair that cascaded down her back in a wave of well-kept locks, piercing emerald eyes that glittered with mischief and cleverness with a façade of innocence, and curves to die for, she would be considered the perfect bride to a very lucky prince. If only this prince _wanted_ a princess.

Elizaveta walked in and curtsied to the guests. "Father? You sent for me?"

A grand hand gesture from the king to his daughter caught the whole room's attention. "This is my daughter, Princess Elizaveta. I hope you will enjoy each other's company in the coming month."

Her smile was pretty, very sweet. "You must be Prince Nikolas. It is wonderful to meet you." She seemed shy, but somehow there was an element of not-so-sweet hidden behind that little beam.

Nikolas merely nodded. "Likewise, princess."

King Alexis seemed to take this as a sign of good fortune. "Well then! I shall have someone guide you to your rooms, and then we will let the festivities commence!"

Nikolas wondered as his guide showed them to their rooms if the Princess wanted this marriage. She was still young. She looked it, too. The door closed behind Mathias, leaving the two on their own once more. "What do you think?"

Indigo eyes scanned the room, taking in their accommodations. "She's nice." He looked to his trunk, the one from the carriage that had originally broken down; apparently it had made it there before them. "We should head back down."

Mat could only agree. "Yeah. You're right, but I think we need to change out of these clothes first."

They went their separate ways and put on new, not gross from the road, frippery. Nikolas was required to join the royal family at dinner that night and was escorted there by a helpful servant, a girl from the Far Eastern lands, named Mei. Apparently she was Princess Eliza's attendant.

Mathias walked to the dining hall with him but was unable to accompany him within. He bowed in respect and left to explore the palace and see if the rumors about an old friend staying there were true.

"Are you good friends with your knight, Prince Nikolas?" The princess asked as he sat down.

Nikolas nodded, smiling a little inwardly at the notion, though now the term would be better categorized as partners. "Do you have many friends, princess?"

She seemed to have to think about it a moment, though in all honestly, it wouldn't be unusual for a princess to have never even left the castle, let alone have any real friends. "My older brother Roderich."

"What is he like?"

"He is very strong and very nice. He has protected me always, but he is also a little overbearing when he thinks I'm in over my head. Do you have any siblings?"

"No." He wanted to change the subject; his family was not exactly a fun topic. "How old are you, princess?"

"I just turned sixteen."

Nikolas hated hearing that. She was barely old enough to leave her parents, let alone get married and have children. His own father had started looking for a bride for him when he turned fifteen; she undoubtedly started earlier. "I see. You are prepared for our potential marriage?"

She glanced over at her father, who was immersed in a conversation with one of his many advisors. "Yes, it is my duty. Surely you understand the feeling?"

No control was _quite_ a familiar feeling. "I do." He noticed the lowering of her eyes. She didn't want this either. "Forgive me. I know it is a topic neither of us wish to discuss."

The brunette gave him a hard look, meeting his eyes for the first time. "There is nothing to forgive. We are bound by the kingdoms." She paused. "I have heard that you refuse to love any in an arranged marriage. If we are chosen for this, I hope we can at least be friendly." She hadn't planned on loving her spouse, either.

He nodded and they shared a moment of silence, both determined to make the best of things. Nikolas was incredibly aware of his father's adulation at this match. The Hapsburgs were a very powerful kingdom, as were the Bondeviks. It would be foolish to think that they would be set elsewhere.

Elizaveta knew how much her father wanted her married. There had been a previous suitor that had gone wrong, and her reputation was in the balance. If she didn't get a husband within the next year, it was unlikely that any would take her.

King Alexis glanced over to his daughter and the Prince, seeing what he hoped: the two of them staring into each other's eyes. "And what is your first impression of my daughter?"

This seemed to startle them, and the King held a grin. "She is beautiful and appears to be very kindhearted. You are lucky to have a daughter such as her."

The princess's cheeks flushed slightly. She knew meaningless praise for what it was, but it was still nice to hear every once in a while. "Lizzie, what do you think of the prince?" Ugh, how she hated that name. She much preferred Eliza or Liz.

"He seems very sweet, well-mannered, and obviously quite handsome."

The King's grin seemed to stretch further. "I do hope your father chooses to ally with us. It seems as if you two would make a good couple."

Eliza had to talk to the prince alone, but her father could not be alerted to the nature of this talk. "If you are not busy, can I interest you in a walk around the gardens after dinner?"

Nikolas nodded, seeing something in her eyes that told him this was important. "That would be fine."

Dinner was mostly a quiet affair; the king was very pleased with the way the two seemed to get along. Very mannerly, kind words, and it didn't seem like it was forced either.

After the meal was over, they two young royals stood and walked out to the famous rose gardens. They strolled a while, making their way far away from the eavesdropping ears of the guards and servants. "You wish to be with the one you care deeply for, correct?" She had already guessed; he looked like a man in love.

There was no point in denying it. "Yes."

"Then you would not be offended if I could not go through with a union?" Now that was surprising. Nikolas nodded a bit. "I do not imagine you would want to do so anyway." She was right.

"Why are you willing to do so?"

"Willing to do what, exactly? Marry you or some other prince?"

"Willing to not marry me, should our fathers decide we should."

She gave him a sidelong look, smiling gently. "Because you are not the only one in love. And even if you were, I would hate to be the one to mess things up between you and the one you _do_ love." He nodded again. "I cannot be with the one I love because of society. Why are you not?"

Again, there was no sense in lying or hiding it. "Because of our differing status and because he is also a male."

Eliza had figured that much, at least. "Then we are very similar, though I don't get to see Emma very often."

"What is she like?"

"Very kind. She travels everywhere but comes from Belgium. She has short blonde hair and always brings me beautiful flowers, though they are no match for her. She is just so good to me... And she sees me as real, too. Not just a girl that is to be married off, but as _me_."

"Sounds like Mathias, in a way." It really did. She looked at him curiously. "My personal guard."

"And is it him?" Nikolas nodded. "What is he like?"

He smiled a little, not even realizing he was doing so. "He's an idiot, but...he's a kind and fun-loving idiot. He's done well to protect me on our journey here, and I trust him with my life. Like Bela does for you, he sees me for me and, for a moment at least, I can forget I'm a prince."

**A/N: So here it is! Hope you guys liked it, sorry it's a little short but hey, a couple thousand words. The next chapter will be quicker though! I already sent it to my fabulous beta somebody's world!**

**Lots of love to you all!**


	5. Knight and Traveling Merchant

**A/N: Thank you to: , Coffee-is-Life, awesomenesss101, Nordic Flags, Emil Steilson, Fyngirl, RainbowCake-Eater, BlackCat2104, and i-Spit-on-Fire. **

The Prince Nikolas and his knight had been staying in the Hapsburg castle for nearly a whole month. Every night was spent in each other's company, and the days were mostly spent exploring the kingdom, kissing up to the king and spending time with the princess. Mathias and Nikolas would return to the castle for dinner, and there they would part until the candles had burned down to the lowest of their lights. Then the night would begin between them, heating up the cold apartments.

This night was different, however. Mathias had been invited to join the royal family for dinner.

The princess was nearly as confused as Nikolas, but none was more confused than Mathias himself. The silence at the table was deafening, tense. "So, Father, not that the company of such an esteemed knight is unwelcome, but I do have to wonder why."

The King's utensils were slowly put down as not to clatter. "Silovice's men are on the move." Nikolas's eyes shot up from staring at the table. "I've sent out soldiers to dispatch them, but it's been too lon-"

A solider ran into the room, huffing and puffing. "Your Highness! They-they have reached the front gate!"

Mat stood up swiftly, the chair rocking back, falling to the ground. "How many?"

"It seems to be a force twenty-some men large! We tried, but...!"

The king stood as well, but his chair stayed upright. "Enough. Gather my troops! They will not get inside!"

Mathias pulled his charge up out of her chair. "Sire, I advise that you get your daughter somewhere safe. The prince and I must leave immediately."

Her attendants quickly gathered her out of her seat. "Wait!" She struggled against them. "What about Emma?!" Eliza's protests were easily ignored, but Nikolas went to her as she pulled away from the people who tried to take her to safety.

"Where is she?"

"I don't know," Fear was prevalent in her eyes. "She was supposed to be talking with the soldiers…." Nikolas swore under his breath and started to run out.

But Mathias wouldn't let that happen, grabbing his arm. "Prince Nikolas, stop! You can't go out there!" The prince glared at his guard and opened his mouth to tell him off, but he was shushed. "I'll get this Emma, just don't go out there! I don't want to see you get hurt. It won't be hard to find her, but you could get killed. That is these men's job. To kill you." Nik knew he was right. Mathias and he shared a look and separated, Mathias heading to the barracks, Nikolas heading to the princess, where her lady's maid was waiting for him.

"I'm here to show you to a safe point." She grabbed their hands and pulled them to the basement near the stables, knowing that they were going to need to get out as soon as possible.

Mathias, however, was having a dandy old time trying to find a girl who had only briefly been described to him, through a myriad of rushing soldiers and terrified peasants. There was one girl, however, with a knife in her hand and messy blonde hair tied back with a red bandana. She was being set upon by an attacker.

The Dane grabbed the man, punched him in the face, and looked back to her. "Are you Emma?"

She looked him over warily, which made sense; he definitely didn't look like anyone from the Hapsburg Empire. "Who are you?"

"Mathias Kohler. Nice to meet you. Now come _on -_ Elizaveta has been worrying herself sick over you! We need to get you back to safety!" He picked her up bridal-style and started running. This surprised her, but she realized the practicality of it until they reached the inner halls once again. "Do you have any idea where they could have gone that would be safe to hide?"

"Um... head for the basement, but take the east entrance! I'll direct you from there!" He started running again, passing fretting servants. She listed off directions that he could easily follow, and when they reached the door, he set her back down. "Eliza!"

The princess opened the door immediately, face lighting up at the sight of the Belgian. Said Belgian pulled the princess into her arms, holding her tightly.

"Nikolas?"

Nik walked out behind her. "I'm here."

"Thank God you're safe." He paused. "We need to leave. Now. Maybe we should take them with us so we all stay safe."

Nikolas looked his lover over. "What are you planning?"

It was simple to Mat. "We leave through the western entrance, ride until dawn, let the horses rest, and then continue back to Mattie's place. We can stay there a couple of days while King Silovice's men search the surrounding areas. No one will find us there. After a few days we can continue north, making our way back to your castle. There we can take sanctuary."

Emma looked to the princess. "Are you okay with that?" She nodded.

They quickly made their way through the servant's hallways to get to the stables as quickly as possible. "I want the princess directly behind me and one of you on either side. We will be heading towards the forest. If you lose sight of the group, immediately head to the pond a hundred or so yards in from the edge of the woods."

The princess's attendant was there, waiting with horses saddled and bags tied to them. "Go quickly."

After helping everyone onto their horses, Mathias swung up onto his own, then looked at his party. They needed protection. He grabbed the bow and quiver from his saddle. "Miss Emma, do you know how to use these?" She nodded and reached for them. He passed them over, pulling the saber from his hip. "Nik. This one is for you." Nikolas had been trained in the saber. It was an effective enough weapon. The Dane looked the princess over for a second then tossed her a dagger in a sheath. "Here. Just in case." She nodded, sliding it onto her belt.

"Okay, after me." He smacked the reins and they were off, running through the fighting just starting to make its way into the inner courtyards. Luckily, any potential enemies were being shot back by the archers on the walls, recognizing the princess and the visiting prince.

Once they were out of the castle walls, they could see the massive attacking force, but they couldn't stop. They rode hard for at least an hour.

Mathias started softly pulling at his reins, slowing his horse and the rest of the party to a stop. "We should stop here for a moment." Deep into the forest was where they were, and the princess and her lover could only hope that the knight truly knew where he was going.

The merchant slid off, patting her horse's heaving neck before helping her princess off. "Where are we headed again?"

Nikolas was the one who answered. "To the home of Mathias's friend."

"Are you sure we can trust him? I know he's a friend, but..."

Mat nodded. "He's practically family."

Emma looked out in the direction from which they had come. "Do you think the men have been stopped by now?"

Mathias could only shake his head; sieges like that would more than likely last several days, and reinforcements would show up, just in the nick of time, destroying the intruder. "No. They will have breached the castle and be searching for Nikolas and possibly Princess Eliza."

Emma pulled her lover close to her, the princess relaxing into her hold. Nikolas knew that feeling, the feeling of finally being safe.

Mathias took his hand and squeezed it gently, more subtly showing that he was still there for the Norwegian. "I'll be right back. I have to make sure we weren't followed." A nod from his lover sent him off on foot into the forest.

Emma smiled over at the prince. "You two are so cute."

Nikolas was startled out of his watching. "What?"

"You're so cute together! Of course not as cute as Eliza, but still!"

The Hungarian laughed softly. "It is quite sweet how much he loves you." Nikolas looked away, embarrassed a little. "And how much you love him."

***A little bit of awesome transitioning***

The Belgian glanced over at the two men in their party. "Prince? Why do those men want you?"

"For revenge. Apparently their prince died because of something my father did." The prince to King Silovice was a young boy, no more than eleven when the news of his death reached the other kingdoms. Everyone knew that because he was supposed to be with a caravan of Norwegian soldiers during the war against the Swedish kingdoms, King Silovice blamed the rulers of that caravan. Supposedly, they let the son be captured and killed. Weirdly enough, until then, not many people had known he had an heir to his throne.

"So they wouldn't target the princess, correct?" That was a tricky one. They might leave her alone, for alliance purposes, but they also might capture her for ransom, or they could just outright kill her for being in their party.

"I don't think so, but there's no telling what they might do with another royal out in the open. We'll have a third when we reach the cabin."

Eliza looked over curiously. "Who?"

"Prince Gilbert Beilschmidt." Mat piped in helpfully.

She quite obviously bristled up. "_He_ is out _here_?" Something about her tone suggested this was the last thing she wanted to hear.

Emma examined her lover closely. "Why?"

The Hungarian seemed to regain some of her composure. "He was the original suitor my father chose. When he disappeared, we all assumed he had gone south."

That didn't seem to help Emma understand what the issue was. "So why would he be here then?"

Nikolas shrugged a little. "He fell in love."

Eliza's frame stayed tense. "How sweet." Her words came from between clenched teeth.

***Another little bit of awesome transitioning***

When the fire at their campsite had burned down to the lowest lights it could muster, the two men in the party finally departed to their tent, Mat still on high alert. "Good night, Mathias." Nikolas lightly pressed a kiss to his cheek, rolling to face the other way as the Dane stayed up, listening to the calming sound of his lover's breathing.

"Good night, Nikolas."

**A/N Again sorry for the shortness! But its almost two thousand words! That should be enough to last you until I can get the next chapter out. Btw there were like two filler chapters between this and the last chapter that I decided to scrap. If anyone is interested in reading an M rated, scrapped chapter, I can post it as a separate thing so this story can remain rated T. But if you would actually enjoy reading their "first time" I have the document ready and can post it whenever. **

**OH AND HERES AN ANNOUNCEMENT!: To all of my Storyteller fans, I should have another chapter up soon! I can even finish it up I think and get started on the first sequel: Fading Into the Foreground (formerly Disappearing Invisibility). The full chapter amount for Storyteller should be around 30ish. Maybe more. I dunno yet. Depends if I break it up more or not.**

**Lots of love!**


	6. Knight and Pricked Arrows

**A/N: Thank you to Fyerus, weaver of the celestial skies, terminallyToreador, Iggybunny, , Nordics4Life, Coffee-is-Life, Luna the Darkness Princess, Loofee, AnAccurateRumor, ninja-sisters729, EbonyRose511, i-Spit-on-Fire, and RunningWithNorthernWolves. **

When Mathias awoke that morning, something was very right. He had his lover in his arms, and there was no need to worry about being caught by maids. He slowly blinked awake, watching his lover stretch and pull out from under their blankets. "Morning, Nik."

"How long have you been up?" Nikolas straightened out his clothes and started combing fingers through his pale hair.

"Not long." Nik nodded and stood as best he could in the space, only to be pulled down again by the Dane, who had sat up by this point, and kissed him happily. "How did you sleep?"

Nikolas blinked in surprise. "What was that for?"

"Just because I love you." The Norwegian smiled a little, shaking his head. "So how did you sleep?"

"Good."

Nikolas got up again to change into his clothes, but right before that, he suddenly turned back around and pressed his lips to the Dane's. Mat could only grin more as he followed the Dane out. Emma and Liz were already out there, the Belgian making breakfast of porridge and eggs for the group.

The two men sat down and began eating with the girls.

"So," Emma started. "What's your friend like?"

"Quiet, sweet, silly, very kind."

She nodded a few times. "And the prince?"

Nikolas raised his shoulders a little in a noncommittal shrug. "He has an ego and says 'awesome' a lot, but he's not bad."

Mat nodded. "He's not bad. He's nice... Kind of." But he only said that because of Mattie.

Elizaveta was frowning. "He is incredibly vain. Rude. " The men gave her a look. "He stayed with us a month and a half. He was the most self-centered jerk of a prince I had ever met. A real perverse man as well."

***mini transition***

Riding in silence was easy. Elizaveta was still mad, Emma was confused, Mathias was content, and Nikolas was a quiet person in general. It was when this silence was broken by the sound of approaching hoof beats that Mathias deigned to end his own. "Faster." He tried not to sound worried, but knowing their luck, there were no fewer than seven people after them. If he was correct, that is.

Everyone sped up, following Mathias's newly complicated path. Emma put herself behind the princess, though whether that was conscious or not, we'll never know.

Unfortunately, despite the change in pace and directions, the men behind them were still able to fire off arrows, very nearly hitting those in their party.

The Belgian spun around in her saddle and pulled the bow off her back, quickly aiming and firing off four arrows of her own. There was a cry and a thump. One had stabbed into a man's stomach; another had hit its intended target of a man in the heart, and he had fallen from his horse. Her other two arrows were nowhere to be found.

Mat turned at the sound and threw a couple of his knives, his aim a bit more accurate; he hit the two front men. Oh, and hey, he was _almost_ right about the amount of horses…. There were thirteen. Luckily, there were now four men down. So that meant nine to go.

One more man went down before the advancing party caught up to them and surrounded them.

The leader was scruffy, definitely not officer material. "Are you ready to hand over the royal?"

"Which one?" Mathias asked, glaring the man down. He had at least half a foot and infinitely more class than the man in front of him, but somehow that didn't seem to faze him.

"Why, Prince Nikolas, of course, though if I'm correct, we have Miss Princess Eliza here too." Emma growled softly at the mention of her princess.

"Never."

The man just shrugged, his grin growing. "Too bad." He looked to his men. "Attack."

Mathias pulled his axe off his back, the blade glinting in the light. This was enough to make a couple of the men back off a bit, letting their companions go first against the knight. Those not daunted rushed forward, one of them grabbing at the prince, who had drawn his saber, but he didn't last long. Nor did the one who went after the princess; he snatched her wrist, and she quickly stabbed his arm with the dagger that the knight had given her. Emma was quick to fire off a few more arrows, taking down a couple of the men and horses.

The leader of the group frowned at how well it was going for the other side and gestured to his man in the trees who took a deep breath, aimed at the target, and shot.

A cry rang out. "It would have been easier to just give the prince to me. Now look at this. Unnecessary suffering."

"I don't think that was an ordinary arrow… Feel his head."

"It was poisoned!" They gathered him up and put him in the saddle, forcing their way out. With the reduced numbers, it was fairly easy. But now it was losing the remaining members. Deep into the forest they went, riding faster and faster until they were far, far away.

So far, in fact, that the familiar cabin appeared in a clearing. Matthew saw his guests and walked over to greet them, starting to run when he realized that one of the party was injured. The uninjured man dropped from the saddle and pulled the other down. Mattie took one look at him and rushed everyone in, throwing the doors to his workplace open. "Everyone out." Mattie was serious, but one wouldn't go. "I'm sorry, but I can't have distractions right now." He ripped open the shirt of the man on his table.

"Mattie, I need to be here." But he allowed himself to be pushed to the doorway.

"He'll pull through. I know he will." The Belgian comforted her princess. Eliza just nodded, still trying to hide her worry.

That was when the other prince decided to make his appearance. "Hey Mattie, what's with -" He spotted the guests. "Oh. Why are all of you back? And what's with looking so freaked out?"

Mattie didn't even look up from grinding up a weird mixture. "I'm busy."

Gilbert looked around and spotted the princess, grinning. "With what?" He started strutting over. Emma turned a bit to get in the way, feeling protective of her lover.

"I'm working. We have a patient."

Hands in his pockets, still smirking at her, Gil stopped. "So how've you been, princess?" Eliza looked up, and Gilbert was hit with a rather intense glare. He just laughed. "Aw! What's the matter? Miss me?" Her voice would not betray her as she continued to say nothing. "Why are you here anyway? And who's your friend?"

"I'm Emma." Emma wasn't sure why the princess was so full of anger at the Prussian. Liz didn't really hate anyone as far as she knew. Somehow, Emma thought, this was different.

Elizaveta's voice finally made itself known. "Price Nikolas is injured."

"Ah, so that must be the patient. I was wondering where he went. So what'd he do? Get a little cut up?"

The Belgian frowned a little. "He's been poisoned. He was shot by a poisoned arrow through the shoulder."

The Prussian blinked. "Man."

Eliza's bitter voice joined again. "Why do you even care?"

Gil gave her a surprised look. "Jeez. What pissed you off, Lizzie?"

The look of absolute irritation slammed into Gilbert. "You." She really hated that nickname.

"What did I do?"

Liz raised a hand, ready to ream him out, but the blonde in the other room spun around. "If you're going to yell at him, take it outside." Call it mean, call it cold, but when Matthew had a patient in a condition like Nik's, he didn't mess around, and he hated being distracted. It made him more prone to mistakes, and that was something that he would not allow. His father had taught him that when it came to a person's life, mistakes were not acceptable.

The Hungarian kept a hold on Emma's hand and walked outside, the Prussian following behind. "Thanks a lot, Birdie…" he grumbled.

Eliza closed the door then crossed her arms over her chest. "Are you really that dense?!"

"Excuse me?" He raised his eyebrows at her. She shot back a look as if to say '_you heard me, dummy_.' "Explain how the awesome me is dense."

She rolled her eyes to the heavens. "Did you ever stop to think about what would happen when you left without any warning?" Her words were full of venom.

He glared back a bit. "If I remember correctly, I wasn't wanted there anyway. Not that I wanted to be."

Emma watched the two of them, slowly gathering a picture.

Liz was close to stamping her foot in anger but knew that it would only make her look like a little girl. "You- Ugh!"

"Why does it matter anyway?" He was nearly yelling at her; the only thing holding him back was the slightly logical side of himself, telling him to hear her out.

"Because it's all your fault!"

Now that was confusing. "What is?! I have no idea what you're so mad about!" He took a step towards her.

She glared him down, voice lowering to a dangerously reasonable level. "Do you know what happens to a person when, as soon as her father makes a deal, the other runs off without a word?" His sudden silence told her he realized, his foot stopping short as he had started to take another step. "Get it?"

He looked away gruffly. "Roughly."

She walked the last couple of meters towards him, poking him in the chest forcefully. "My family shunned me for a month! Relations between our countries have been irreparably damaged! Your _mother_ publicly insulted me! _I_ was blamed for you leaving! My people _hated_ me! And it was _ALL YOUR FAULT!" _Her eyes glittered with bloodlust.

"Liz…." Came from behind her. Emma had had no idea, and the fact that her lover had kept this from her was not a nice surprise.

The Prussian sighed, putting hands on her shoulders and pushing her away. "Listen. I'm sorry that happened. But why do you think I left? I didn't want to marry you, and you obviously didn't like the idea either. You think it was all nice and easy for me? I'll tell you now, it wasn't, but I think in the end I did us both a huge favor."

She looked away. "You didn't even leave any indication why or where. Prince Ludwig was terrified, you know."

Gilbert's hands dropped. "Don't bring him into this."

"He's your brother!"

Gil clenched his hands into fists at his side. "What of it?" His glare was back.

"He misses you! He was terrified that you might have been kidnapped or hurt!" Gil shook his head, trying to forget. "Did you ever think to tell him you were leaving?"

"He would have tried to stop me." His usually loud voice was very quiet. He missed his family. A lot.

"Why _did_ you leave?"

"I wasn't meant to be tied down to some princess who didn't want anything to do with me. I wanted to live my life how _I_ wanted to. No princely duties, no princesses, no being told what to do or how to act. The awesome me is meant for something more awesome than all that. Besides, like you, I had someone out there for me who did want me."

They were both completely silent for five minutes straight until the princess broke it. "…I have news that will probably make you feel a little better about Ludwig."

Gil looked up, surprised. "What?"

"Do you remember that little Italian maid that your man Vash hired?" He was a cheery little guy, bouncy and slightly annoying sometimes, but cute and innocent. "Ludwig seems to be head over heels for the boy." Or as head over heels the hulking blonde could get. "Needless to say, your father was not the happiest when he heard this, but he still supports the prince." She sighed and glanced to the forest. It reminded her of the grove in the gardens. "I'll be back in a few hours, Emma. Please don't follow me." Pulling completely away from the eyes on her, both pairs, she walked into the trees.

Emma watched her go, worried, keeping her gaze on the spot where Elizaveta disappeared. "Want me to go after her?"

"But she said not to follow her." She paused. "I'm worried, though... After what happened to Nikolas."

Gilbert nodded. "I'll go watch out for her." He walked in, looking around.

Eliza had made her way through the tall pines and climbed up into one, realizing that being on the ground after what had happened, probably wasn't the best of ideas.

"Hey Princess! You want to let me know where you are?" She could hear his faint call and ignored it until he was nearly beneath her. "Yo, Princess!"

She waited a moment before responding. "I thought I said not to follow me."

He craned his head to look up at her. "It's not exactly safe out here right now, you know."

She nodded her head, brunette hair falling over her shoulders. "I do know."

Gil sat and leaned against the trunk. "You have Emma worried, too."

Eliza sighed softly, puffing the long bangs away from her face. "I wanted to think." There was no response from below. "It's happening again, you know..."

"Huh?" He glanced up.

"Father approved of another suitor, and that man is most likely going to end up running away with his lover... I don't mind the being left part… It's the aftermath. It will be worse this time." It was true. Her people might even think her cursed for her bad luck with suitors. Rumors would start, and suddenly she would be a witch or a whore. Either way, her father could not be expected to help her.

Gil picked up a stick and started drawing nonsense shapes in the dirt. "You could always leave, too."

"I've thought about it before. And I want to. Emma doesn't want me to throw it all away."

"Ever try to convince her otherwise?"

Eliza nodded. "Every time I see her."

"Have you asked her why not?"

"I'm almost afraid to hear the answer."

"There has to be something -"

"Maybe she doesn't want me around."

Gil frowned and threw a small rock at her, hitting her arm. "That's not it."

She frowned back. They had had conversations like this before. When he stayed with her in her castle, they hadn't gotten along per se, but she and he could talk. She would be in the gardens or the grove, sometimes even the training grounds, and he would sit near her. Somehow, they couldn't get along, but they could help each other. "What do you think then?"

"How should I know? I can't read minds. It doesn't take awesomeness like mine though to know that she loves you." It didn't seem to convince her. "Jeez. First Mathias, then you... If I have to solve the problems of one more couple, I'm going to drag Francis out of whatever hole he's in and make him do it."

She remained quiet then, "Don't look up." She started coming down.

"Huh, why?" Gil began looking up.

"I said don't look up!" she said, seeing the movement. "I'm coming down. I don't care if you're in a relationship; I still don't want you looking up my skirt."

He looked back in front of him, rolling his eyes. "Yeah, yeah." She dropped from the last branch and landed on her feet, brushing off her skirts. "Shall we?"

Liz nodded at him, and they started their walk back. "The awesome me will ask her for you if you don't." Gil grinned at her.

***mini transition***

"Why don't you want me to run away with you?"

"I've told you why. I don't want you to throw your life away like that."

"What if I don't want that life? What if the only life that matters to me is with you? Emma, I'm throwing away my life locked in that castle!"

A hesitation. "Eliza... But you would lose so much, and it's not as safe. And what if you change your mind?"

"I would never change my mind. If you don't want me around, I understand. I just need to know."

"What?! No! I love you, Eliza. I do. Really."

The Hungarian leaned forward to press a kiss to Emma's lips. "Then let me show you how much _I_ love _you."_

***mini transition***

Mat knelt by the bed, not seeming to see any reason to pull up a chair if that meant leaving his prince's side. "Mat…thias…." Mat could feel the gentle pressure of his lover squeezing his hand.

"I'm here, Nikolas. Right here." It was hard to see Nik like this. The Norwegian's indigo eyes, heavy with drugs and pain, slowly blinked open. "How are you feeling, kanin?" Nik started to say that he was fine, but a hand up from the Dane stopped him. "How are you _really_ feeling?"

Nik hesitated. "I... hot... worn out... a little sick and sore..."

Mat brought the prince's hand up to his lips and lightly kissed it, wanting to give Nikolas some comfort. "Want me to see if Mattie can give you something to help?"

It was like he had been listening because Matthew walked back in, his soft voice permeating the room. "I'm sorry, I would have dosed you sooner, but I thought you would be asleep longer." Nikolas nodded at him. "Are you up to having a little to drink?" The gentle sound of grinding came from the corner of the room where Mattie had put himself, lighting the stove.

"Please."

"It will only take a minute. Mathias, can you help him up a little so we can add more support and he can sit up?"

Mat nodded and wrapped his arms around the man in the cot, lifting him up so more pillows could be added, then gently laying him back down.

The youngest in the trio started pouring hot water into a cup. "Do you like honey in your tea?" Nikolas bobbed his head in affirmation. "I suspect that it will be a couple days at the very least, and there's no way you'll be fit for travel in less than a week."

"They're too close for that…."

Mattie shook his head. "That's how long it should take." He handed Nik the mug. "Drink this."

"Besides, we're safe here. They won't be able to find us." Mathias smiled. "Drink a bit more, then try and get some sleep." Nikolas almost objected to the order but realized that, even if it wasn't from the person who was healing him, it was right.

He took a few more sips of his herbal tea and set it aside, closing his eyes to fall into a sleep.

All was quiet in the house.

**A/N: Hope you guys liked it~! I love drama from the character's past!**

**Btw who is awesome and did this super quick? *points to self* that's right. This gal! (My beta was busy though so it took longer) And its even another 3,270 words! and just saying, at this point the chapters 7, 8, 17, 21, 23, 31, and 32 are all written so those should come out sooner than the others.**

**Lots of Love!**


	7. Knight and First Moves

**A/N: Thank you to: valkyrie510, , NordicFlags, Xou, and begitte. Also to my wonderful and perfect beta who was able to get this back to me super quick! *blows kisses* Love you somebody's world!**

**EDIT!: It was brought to my attention that I accidentally put Belgium/Lichtenstien instead of Bel/Hun. I am extremely sorry for that and it is now fixed. Originally it was supposed to be Lich that was the princess but she ended up being too much like Hun, plus the whole thing with Pussia and it just seemed more logical to change it. Either way, I'm sorry for the confusion and it has now been fixed.**

Anyone who knows Princess Eliza very well knows that waking her up is extremely difficult. That is, unless you're a certain traveling merchant. "Mmm...Morning Eliza."

A very muffled "Morning Em..." came from beneath the covers. The Belgian wrapped her arms around the princess and held her tight. Liz just snuggled deeper into her and the warmth.

"We should get up, sleepy head."

"Really?"

"Mhmm."

"Today?"

"Of course, silly."

"Mmkay." There was no movement from her.

"Do I need to pull you out of bed?"

"I hope not." Emma smiled, knowing the snarkiness of her partner increased when she was tired.

"Hmm... I just might have to... or I could always do this…." The Belgian started tickling Liz's sides, causing her to squirm and laugh, trying to push her away.

"Stop!" Her laughing only increased.

"Ready to get up?"

"Yes!" She had to pause to laugh more. "Yes! Please stop!"

Emma smiled more and stopped, pressing a light kiss to the other's lips. "Good."

They both quickly dressed, smelling beginnings of breakfast. And as they walked into the kitchen they saw Matthew leaning against the counter with a mug of coffee and the Prussian making breakfast on the stove. "You guys ready for the most awesome breakfast ever?"

The blonde gave them a look that read '_just play along_.' "I guess so... Are the other two not awake yet?"

Gil shrugged. "Don't know, but if not, they'll miss out." He pulled stuff out of the oven. "Prepare yourselves for the most awesome meal ever!"

They shut Gilbert up about his awesomeness while they sat, Mattie at one point getting up to bring Mathias a plate and make Nikolas more tea.

Cleaning the dishes was pretty easy with the amount of people they had. "Hey Mattie, I think I'm going to head out once I finish."

Matthew nodded, but Emma looked at him curiously. "You're leaving?"

"Just to look around. I think we're pretty safe out here, but it's better to know for sure."

The blonde male smiled a little at them. "Better safe than sorry, right?"

Gil finished up the last of the cleaning and kissed his lover's cheek. "I'll be back soon."

Mattie nodded again and watched him go. "Be safe." Gilbert couldn't allow himself to get hurt. Mattie could fix him, but the amount of worry he would go through in the process….

Emma handed the princess a mug of coffee, knowing she needed it. "How much of the land do you own?" Matthew laughed softly, confusing both girls. "Why are you laughing?"

"I don't own any land." He saw their even more confused expressions. "This cabin is in the middle of the woods. No one wants the land, and this cabin was built by a friend. Our life here is completely unrecorded."

"Doesn't it get a little lonely, though?"

A pause, and Mattie turned back to the stove to get more coffee for himself. "A little... but it would be worse in a city." Mattie hated cities like no other. They were loud, crowded, and dangerous. "My brother visits every once in a while, but Mathias sure visits a lot more. Perhaps maybe you two will drop by if you're ever in the area."

Eliza nodded. "Of course!" She thought for a moment. "Speaking of visitors, how many other patients do you get normally?"

Not many people in the area even knew he was there. Though, of course, there was the occasional story about him healing people with magic. "Maybe ten or fifteen a month. Usually it's small stuff, but there is the occasional tough one."

"Like Nikolas?" Mattie nodded. "He's doing better, right?"

"He's better than he was before you came to see me."

"Do you mind if I ask another question?"

The blonde laughed softly. He never got anyone asking him a ton of questions. "Not at all."

"Well I guess it's two, but how long have you been doing this, and how did you get into it?" The Hungarian was quite curious about it as well.

That one was easy to answer. "Well, when I was little, Alfred and Mathias and Berwald would always get into fights. I was the one to patch them up. I started learning about the medicines when I was twelve and finished my apprenticeship when I was fifteen. After that I just traveled a while. Three years."

"And then you met Gilbert?"

Mattie smiled at the memory. "Yeah... I stayed at his castle, per his request, for months. I thought I had done something wrong and he wanted me to serve some sort of punishment."

"So he eventually confessed, or...?" This time it was the princess asking.

Mattie laughed a little. "No, I tried to leave and I was literally dragged up to his personal chambers by him. I was terrified… but it was the exact opposite of what I had assumed."

"Really?"

Liz leaned in a little, finally waking up for real. "What happened?"

Mattie shrugged a little. "It's kind of a long story. I wouldn't want to bore you."

Emma frowned. "Oh, come on! I wanna hear it!"

Mattie laughed again, soft and kind. "Okay, okay... Let me see. I'll start from my 'escape' attempt." They both got settled. "So I was in the room that the crown Prince had provided me. I had to pick the lock, but I got the door open. I had my bag packed and I was ready, I wanted- no, I _needed_ to get out. I _needed _to go see the world, had been trapped in there for a week and a half." He sighed softly at the memory. "It was dark and depressing in my room."

This surprised the Belgian. "You were trapped in there? That's cruel."

Mattie nodded; he had thought so too at the time. "At the time I hated the crown Prince, hated what he did to me, and hated that I could do nothing about it. So I left my room, bag in hand. I had just rounded the first corner when I saw a familiar face, pale skin, white hair, red eyes. I thought he would be furious. Scream and yell, throw me into a cell before I could blink." Both girls looked concerned and he smiled softly to reassure them. "He grabbed my wrist and started pulling me somewhere. I was spluttering out apologies left and right but he didn't seem to be listening. We got to a room, and I wondered why we had gone to such a nice one. I was hoping he wasn't trying to get me in a more secure room, and I wondered why he didn't want to let me go. It made no sense."

It wasn't like he had any patients at the time, either. "He pushed me down so I was sitting on the couch in front of the fire and he paced. Just paced, muttering to himself. A few times he would look over at me and there was something in his eyes that, at the time, I couldn't recognize. I sat there, confused for what seemed like an hour or two. Finally, just as it seemed like he was going to either wear a hole in the floor or explode, he stood in front of me, pulled me up sharply, looked me in the eyes, and kissed me." He touched his lips unconsciously. "I pushed him away, and he looked confused as to why I did, but when I tried to speak…."

He looked up again at the girls, and they both were listening intently.

"Nothing came out. I just gaped. He smirked at me and kissed me again. Though this time I slapped him away and got out of his arms. I yelled at him, 'What was that?' and 'Why would you do that?!' He sighed and literally his entire body sagged. It was like my reaction killed him or something."

Liz shook her head. "Because he felt rejected. Now you're making me pity him."

"I went back up to him and asked him why. He said he didn't know how to say it. So I told him to try. And he did. It took him all night, but he figured it out. And by that time I was starting to look him over. I had listened to him, and he was different than he let people see. I acknowledged that I liked him as a bit more than just friends, but I was scared, and by the end of the night I found he had fallen hard without me even noticing... He said he wanted to be with me, but I said no. I didn't want to be the little plaything of some prince." Gil had tried multiple times to just make him agree. Telling him that it didn't matter, that he just needed Mattie. And when he had told him that he had more respect than to be with Gilbert, it killed the light in those gorgeous red eyes.

"What did he do then?"

"I don't know... I told him I'd be in my rooms until the next day and then I would leave. I said I was sorry, so very sorry, but I wouldn't do it. I wouldn't degrade myself for him, and then I went back to my room. Early the next morning, when I woke up it was still dark out, but I grabbed my bag and headed for the stables. They still had my horse. I got quite a surprise.

"He was saddling my horse, another already done, his bags strapped on its saddle. He turned and saw me, and his face lit up like a flame. He walked up and wrapped his arms around me, resting our foreheads together, and he said, 'Matthew, I think I love you...'"

The Hungarian was nearly out of her seat. "And? What did you do?"

"I laughed. I laughed and I hugged him. He was bewildered, to say the least. He told me I would never be his toy, that he wanted to run away with me and promised that he would never hurt me in any way. I smiled and said, 'Let's go, then,' and we left. Right then and there."

"Aww! That's so sweet."

Mattie was still smiling to himself, remembering their travels. "How did you two meet?"

Liz smiled a little. "I think you'll like it." The Belgian nodded beside her. "About a year ago I was told that we were going to have a guest. A traveling merchant that was bringing goods from all over the world. It was so exciting, and I made a plan to coax her out to the gardens and interrogate her for every scrap of knowledge she had on the lands outside of our grounds."

Emma nudged her a little. "And it wasn't too hard to do, was it?"

Eliza's smile widened a bit. "No, but that came later." The blonde looked at them as if to say 'don't spare any detail.' "When she arrived, she brought gifts. A ruby necklace from Spain for the queen; a purple velvet cloak for the king - with gold stitching, from Germany, mind you; a new sword with a gilded hilt made by the druids of England for the prince; and a matching set of pink sapphire necklace, bracelet, earrings, and a circlet from Belgium for the princess." She touched her necklace gently in remembrance.

Mattie's eyes widened. "A bit lavish, don't you think?"

"I thought so as well, but at dinner she was incredibly impressive. Father loved her, and mother couldn't get enough. After dinner I asked if she might take a spin around the garden with me."

"And I agreed to. After all, I was a little curious about her, and it felt like we could at least be friends."

"I practically drilled her for things - anything at all about the world."

"And I gladly answered whatever I could."

Eliza laughed a little to herself. "I think she was a little bewildered as to why. We talked a lot. For _hours,_ even. The guards had to come out and collect me, but I really didn't want to go."

"But we would talk later."

"Later that night I snuck down to her room. It was almost like I was drawn to her. I couldn't find a reason why or any incentive to leave. She was so sweet and kind, but it wasn't the pandering I got from other people. I was so happy that she didn't get mad or irritated with me."

"You did have me very curious, though."

"Me too. You would answer any question I threw at you but never asked any of your own."

The blonde piped in. "Why was that?"

"I didn't know what to ask or what I could. I was happy enough that she was next to me, and I didn't want to question her about something that'd make her leave."

They took each other's hands. "When the sun was rising over the horizon that morning, I had fallen asleep in her arms, though I'm still not completely sure how. Mei found us and shook us awake, scared like crazy that we would be caught in such a position, that Emma would be killed for 'restraining' me, that I would be killed for being with a woman. I tried to tell her that nothing happened, but I was still half-asleep, so I miscalculated when I tried to get up."

Emma was smiling at the memory, green eyes glittering with mischief, nodding a bit. "Mmmhmm." Mattie gave her a confused look.

"And with that little slip I lost my first kiss." He covered his mouth to stifle the laughs.

"Mei _flipped out_. She was so happy, but she dragged me off, my hand over my mouth, blushing like crazy. My brother caught us as she took me to my rooms, and he was confused, so he stopped her and interrogated me until I told him I had to put decent clothes on. He let me go but kept an eye on me the rest of the day. Well, when he wasn't being harassed by that attendant of yours. What was his name again? He was that little Italian, mean to all men, cursed like a sailor? You know that one that your brother Antonio has an interest in?"

"You mean Lovino?"

Liz nodded. "Yeah! He bugged Roderich all day with ramblings about how he wasn't treating you right with his 'condescending' looks. Though… That's just Roderich's face. Either way, it kept him from me so I could drag her out into the gardens again. I was so embarrassed and was half spluttering anything I said."

Emma grinned at her. "You were so cute."

"She was so nice to me and eventually I said, 'We can just forget about that this morning. I promise I won't tell and we can just pretend it never happened.''"

"I didn't want to."

"I rambled on and on about how we should just forget it, say it never happened ever, that we should never mention it again."

"And I kissed her again to silence her."

Mattie was smiling right along with them. "That is incredibly adorable."

Gilbert burst in, interrupting the happy times. "Mattie! Grab anything important and stuff for Nikolas. We have to go."

**A/N: Who was it that said they were safe?... Oh that's right! It was me~~~ well and Den, but he won't take credit-**

**D: Yeah I will!**

**Me: Why? You weren't right. Wouldn't this be the best time to deny you said it?**

**D: Oh.. I SAID NOTHING!**

**M: Good Denny. **

**Please excuse my weirdness. This is the second chapter I've finished in 24 hours. Something has gone wrong if I'm actually writing right now. *nodnod* Yup. **

**Anyways! Lots of love!**


	8. Knight and Runaway Wolves

**A/N: Oh my gosh I am so sorry, I forgot to thank my lovely people! I usually do this as reviews and follows and favorites show up but I havent had time so I completly forgot. Let me remedy that now! Thank you to: NordicFlags, yaoiforever666, CaptainAzenor, , begitte, SnakeGirl1, and AnAccurateRumor.**

Mattie knelt next to the youngest prince. "Nikolas? How are you feeling?" It had been two days since they had been run out of the cabin. So far they had avoided any contact with the enemy party, and as long as they could get to the castle before they caught up, they would be safe. Unfortunately, Nikolas was only getting worse, and without the stability of his office, Mattie couldn't do anything that would help in the long run.

"Sick... and my shoulder..." His skin was paler than usual, hot to the touch, especially near his shoulder.

"What kind of sick? Nausea? Achy?" He turned to the knight. "My pack off the horse, please."

Mat quickly brought it back for him with a skein of water. "Nauseous, headache, and hot..."

"I expected that. I'm so sorry, Nikolas... If we hadn't left, this wouldn't be happening."

They unwrapped the shoulder and winced. "Oh merde…"

Nikolas refused to look. "How bad?"

"Not great. I need a place for you to rest longer than we're able to out here. But it's easy to fix. I- I just wish we had time to fix this fully. It takes time, and until we reach your castle, that is impossible. All I can do right now is fend off the symptoms." Mattie washed out the area again, getting rid of all traces he could of any infection, then rewrapped the bandages around his shoulder. "I hope we can reach the castle by tonight…."

The Belgian nodded. "We should. I'll admit I am a little worried about how the king will react when we get there. Hopefully he'll understand…."

Eliza just shook her head, looking around at their group. "Best case scenario, Mathias gets fired."

Gilbert looked over from repacking his horse. "What do you think will happen?"

"We'll all be separated. Emma can probably stay with me. Mathieu will have to stay with Nikolas. Mathias will be brought before the king and punished for letting Nikolas be hurt, even though it wasn't his fault. Gilbert will either be recognized and the king will try to send him back or he won't be and will have to stay in the servants' quarters or the town."

Gilbert nodded. "I haven't met this king, so hopefully he won't figure it out. The servants' quarters aren't awesome, but if it keeps me in the castle with Mattie."

Emma watched them. "Somehow it will work out. It's not like we'll be trapped there forever, right?"

Mattie shook his head. "I don't ever want to be trapped in a castle again."

Mathias sighed, coming out with Nikolas in his arms, the prince back in a fitful sleep. "You won't be... The king will see the princess and probably end up sending her home with her "lady's maid." Mattie and Gil will be sent away as soon as Mattie finishes his job. I will be sent back to my country in shame. Nikolas will be forced to either marry or flee..." He put the prince in his saddle and started to put on his armor. Returning to the proper vestments for his station, he hopped onto his horse. "Let's get going."

Silently the group all mounted their own horses, not used to this resigned and serious Mathias.

Nikolas looked up at him, barely awake. "You're not leaving me." His voice was soft, barely heard over the stomping of the horses' hooves.

"Not even if they banish me." He held his Norwegian a bit tighter. "No matter what happens, just remember I love you. All of you."

As the shadows got longer and the sun started setting, the high castle of the Norwegian kingdom came closer and closer, and when they approached, they straightened themselves up – Nikolas especially; after the bit of rest he had, he was able to sit up straight and regal. Mathias's arms removed themselves from his waist, Elizaveta threw her leg over so she was riding side saddle, Emma combed her fingers through her hair, Mattie fixed his clothing, and Gilbert sat up a bit, trying not to look too dignified. Though, with him, it was hard to resist the urge every bit of his childhood training taught him.

When the castle drawbridge came into clear view, a guard spotted Prince Nikolas and immediately ordered it lowered for him and his party.

An attendant met them in the front hall after they dismounted and handed their horses over to the stable boys. "Your highness." He bowed to the prince. "We received word earlier today that you were returning. The king is waiting in the throne room when you are ready." He paused, noticing the prince wasn't looking quite right. "Prince, excuse me, but you are not looking so well. Should I have someone-"

"I'm fine." It nearly killed Mathias to see the blank look upon his lover's face. The look he had when they first met. The look of the "Heartless Prince Nikolas."

The attendant nodded a little. "If you shall follow me, then, I will announce your arrival."

They followed him into the large throne room, and at the sight of the king, bowed or – in the girl's case – curtsied. Nikolas's bow, however, was noticed as being shorter. "You were attacked." This king was not one of Mathias's favorites. Large, cheap, pitiless.

"We were."

"Who would dare?"

Mat responded this time. "King Silovice, Your Majesty."

The king didn't even look at him, his eyes trained on his son's shoulder. "And were you injured?"

"I'm fine, Father." He was trying very hard to look it.

But it wasn't going well. "Is that why you are bandaged?"

Nik's eyes lowered a bit. "...An arrow hit my shoulder, but I am fine."

The king's gaze swept over them, finding the youngest man of the group. "I assume the man without weapons is a healer you found?" Now this wasn't entirely true. Mattie had weapons and knew how to use them, but they weren't visible, and even if they had been, they would have looked like common healer's accessories.

Mattie nodded to the king. "I a-am, my l-lord."

"Go tend to my son. Princess, an attendant will show you and your handmaiden to your room. Sir Kohler, you will stay a moment."

Eliza curtsied again to the king as a young lady walked up. "This way, Princess." And the two girls of their group were gone.

Gilbert followed Mattie and Nikolas, helping Nikolas along, glancing back at the Dane. A Dane who looked like he was in a lot of trouble.

Nikolas hesitated outside the door and leaned against the wall just outside, Mattie putting up the pretext of checking him over so they could all hear.

"You have failed in your assignment, Sir. Do you have anything to say for yourself?" The king's voice rang through the room.

Mathias would be good. He would try very hard to be good and not speak out. _Be Berwald_, he thought to himself_. Act completely like stone_. "I am sorry, sire. We were surrounded."

"That is no excuse!" He was staring the knight down, eyes burning.

Mathias's eye twitched from the non-expression. "Please forgive my failure, sire."

"You let my son be injured! We will no longer require your services. Be gone."

Mathias's head snapped up, angry. Sure, he had been hurt, but the injury would be better soon! It wasn't fatal! "Perhaps if you told me that a certain king was after your son then I could have prepared better!" Mat cursed his big mouth.

"Insolence! Get away from my sight!" There were only a few things the king didn't tolerate. One of those was back talk. Mathias, gritting his teeth, bowed. "Leave this castle and never return!"

Mat stopped short. "You can't-!"

"Silence! Guards, take him away!" Five of the armored guards walked up to him and grabbed his arms, pulling him out.

"Wait! I have to-! Let go of me!"

Just behind the door, Mattie was holding back a very frustrated Norwegian prince. "I command you to let me go!"

Gil and Mattie shared a look, and Mattie reluctantly released him. "Just be smart."

Nikolas rushed off after them, careful not to be seen by many, following the sound of a protesting Dane. "You don't understand! I have to-"

One of the guards gagged him. "You're making a spectacle of yourself."

Nik caught up behind them. "Unhand him at once!"

The guards all turned and bowed, forcing Mathias to do the same. "I'm sorry, Your Highness, but your father the king has demanded this knight to be sent back to his own country."

Nikolas glared them down, and Mat could suddenly see the only resemblance between the prince and the king. "I command you to release him or you will be the one sent away."

The King Faere walked up. "Nikolas. What are you doing here? You are supposed to be with the healer."

Nikolas turned around to face his father. "Because... because this knight is being wrongfully punished, and I wished to speak with him."

The king raised an eyebrow. "A word of warning, my son – my word is law, and even you may not thwart it. The only wrongdoing is his, but you may speak with him once more before he is sent away."

"Of course. Thank you, Father, but may I do so without an audience?"

He nodded and the guards left. "You have five minutes, my son." And he left as well as the Dane pulled the gag out of his mouth, coughing.

"Mathias..."

"Hey." He smiled a little at his Norwegian.

"Don't 'hey' me, you idiot."

Mathias looked down sheepishly. "Sorry."

Nik walked up and rested his head on the taller man's chest. Arms wrapped around him, hugging him tight. "As soon as I can... I will leave…." Nikolas's voice was soft, so no one would hear.

"Mattie'll take you. Just tell him the wolf tackled the bear. He'll know what I mean, and no one else will." Just in case anyone overheard them, he wanted there to be no reason someone could follow his lover. "When you're well again." Nikolas nodded and quickly kissed him, then took a step back. Mathias bowed, smiling still. "Goodbye, Your Highness. It was an honor to be your knight, however short a time."

The king and guards walked back in. "Your five minutes are up."

"Goodbye, Sir Kohler." This time when the guards went after him, he stood up straight and started walking out on his own. One of them took a hold of his arm again, and he wrenched it away, keeping his head high.

Nikolas walked back to the healer and the other prince, finally collapsing after pushing himself way too hard. "Gil! Pick him up. Your Highness, which way to your rooms?" Gil quickly did so, worried a little.

"Third floor... south hall... the large doors." Mattie quickly started leading the way.

"I told you to be smart N-sire." He still wasn't used to having to use the Prince's title.

They opened the doors, and Nikolas was hurriedly placed on the bed, Mattie getting to work as fast as he could. "If you rest, stay in bed most of the time, and take medicine when told, you should be all better in a few days and even fit for travel in two weeks or so." He peeled away the bandages again, this time with more care. "Gil, can you go see if we can get some damp towels?" the Prussian nodded, going off. It was odd, but he had already gotten used to being Matthew's assistant with the harder cases he dealt with. "Nikolas? How're you doing?" Nikolas was silent. "Nikolas, please, I need an answer."

It took him a few moments to respond, swallowing hard. "...Worse...than before..."

*Awesome Transition*

It was two weeks later that the prince was able to be up and about again. He had gotten a pretty bad infection, but with Matthew's care, he had made an almost full recovery. He was ready for travel and was waiting for Mattie's go-ahead to start packing.

This was also the time that the prince was summoned to the throne room to speak with his father. "It seems King Alexis and I agree on something."

"And may I ask what that is?" He kept his eyes downcast.

"That you and the princess Eliza will be married and create a union between our countries." The king seemed pleased by this.

Nikolas's eyes widened a little, trying to figure out what to say and simultaneously plan his immediate escape plan. "I... Of course, Father..."

"Very good. You may go."

Nikolas walked very calmly out, then quickened his pace once out of the throne room. He burst into his room where the healer had been waiting since they had been talking before he was summoned. "The wolf tackled the bear."

Mattie looked puzzled for a moment and then sighed. "Oh great. Pack for a long journey. It's gonna take a while."

"Where's Gilbert?"

"Hiding in the stables." Nikolas nodded and grabbed a couple of bags from his wardrobe, pulling clothes out and stuffing them in. "Another servant freaked out and called him a demon, so he's been spending a lot of time with animals." He watched the Norwegian hurriedly pack. "We'll leave at nightfall. It'll be easier."

"Go get him and get ready."

"Yes, sire." He smiled a little at the prince and left, returning at nightfall with the Prussian.

"So we're finally going to?" Nikolas nodded at him. "Awesome. I've already had to wait way too unawesomely long." He paused. "So what are you going to do when you see him again?" Gil asked the Norwegian. "Are you going to rush up and hug him? Hold him close?" He pulled the healer into his arms, hugging him. "Whisper in his ear and tell him how much you missed him and love him?" He lowered his voice, speaking right past Mattie's ear. "Kiss him like this?" He kissed Matthew sweetly.

Nikolas, who had only half been paying attention, looked over and rolled his eyes at Gilbert's antics.

Mattie laughed. "But seriously, Nikolas, what do you think will happen?"

"He'll probably be his normal annoying self."

Gil grinned. "Either way, I'll be glad to be getting out again."

Matthew closed the doors to Nik's rooms. "Not done yet, Gil. One more castle before we go home."

"What? Really?" Mattie nodded.

"The trip is about two weeks."

Gil groaned. "That sounds so unawesomely long. Isn't there some shortcut or something?"

Mattie sighed. "That _is_ the short cut."

"Man... I hope something awesome happens along the way."

"Like what?"

Gilbert shrugged. "I don't know...Like finding something awesome or running into an event at some town that we could mess with if it wasn't exciting enough."

Mattie reached up and patted him on the head. "You're really bored, aren't you?"

"I've been having to talk to animals, Mattie... though there is this awesome black stallion." Mattie shook his head slightly, incredulous.

Nikolas frowned a little. "Where are we going? I thought Mathias was Danish, meaning he would go back to Danmark…."

"We're headed to Finland." He glanced to Nikolas. "Looks like you get to meet Mathias's family."

Nikolas blinked. "Oh."

**A/N: SOooooooo~! Looks like I'm bringing in more characters soon huh (Can you guess who they are?)? Hope you guys liked this one~! I like banishing people. It's fun. XD **

**Lots of love!**


	9. Knight and Little Stranger

**A/N: Two chapters in one week? You guys are lucky ducks! Unfortunately though, after this chapter you guys are probably gonna have to wait a bit… These last few chapters were prewritten while my beta was busy and I haven't done anything from here to chapter 17, so depending on how much my brain decides to cooperate, the next chapter will take a while. Thank you to:** **NordicFlags! **

Finding a good camping spot in the woods wasn't very hard. They rode for a few hours heading north and stopped at a fairly small clearing, hoping that it wouldn't be seen as they rested. Mattie checked the prince's shoulder one more time, and as Nikolas put his shirt back on a crack was heard, echoing through the quiet space.

The crack wasn't loud, but it was loud enough. All eyes swiveled towards the noise.

It was a young boy. Very, very pale hair, almost white, shaggy and short, tired lilac eyes, round face, and roughed-up clothes. He wore a greyish-blue cloak and pants and a too-large white shirt covering his upper half. He held his hands up to show he meant no harm, and the healer rushed over to him. "Mon Dieu! Are you alright?" The boy stood there, staring for a moment, completely silent, and then he collapsed into Mattie's arms. "Gil, set up a bedroll. Nikolas, I need you to grab my bag." The two did as told as the healer started to check the boy for injury. He frowned a little at the sight of his exhausted face. "I recognize him from somewhere..." His voice wasn't above a whisper, and his companions ignored it.

Gil glanced over at his lover's concentrated face. "What's up, Mattie? Is he some kid you helped out or something?"

It seemed like Matthew didn't hear him. "Nikolas, who was that King after your head?"

"Silvoce. Why?" Nikolas watched his friend carefully. "His son was killed in battle due to my father's actions."

Mattie shook his head as if to say, "Never mind, then." Gilbert cocked his head to the side. "Who were you thinking he was, Mattie?"

"He has the most striking resemblance to the Prince Erik Silovice."

Gil stood quickly, "What? But he's supposed to be dead! Besides, if he were the prince, then we should probably leave before he wakes up or make sure he can't attack us."

Nikolas looked up at the Prussian. "He won't attack."

"Assuming he's the prince, maybe he's got some plan with the king. I'm just saying." Gilbert was nearly bouncing, and his lover knew it was just pent-up frustration from being holed up in the stables too long.

Nikolas sighed softly and looked the boy over; he seemed familiar to the prince as well. "Let's get the tents ready."

When all of them were put to bed and the boy settled in the tent with Nikolas, Gil could take a breather and finally examine his lover's face again. Mattie was thinking again. He was thinking quite hard on something. "What are you thinking about? The possible prince?"

"Why is it that all of these to-be kings and queens are running away? Is it the end of the monarchy? Or is it just that time? Why is it that _we_ keep finding them?"

Gil shrugged. "I don't know. It could just be coincidence, for all we know. I don't think the monarchy will die just yet, though." He pulled the blonde close. "My goal is just for everyone to get out of this safe and happy. Awesome goal, right?"

Matthew smiled softly at the Prussian. "You are secretly a sap, did you know that?"

"I am not. I just know what I want." He grinned.

***Awesome transition to next morning***

A pale head poked out of the tent in the morning, observing the Norwegian prince and the healer sitting in front of the fire as the second made breakfast. Mattie noticed the movement. "Good morning. Would you like to join us?"

He was hesitant but came over and took a seat next to Nik, though not _right_ next to him. He was still quite wary of the group. "So Erik, right?" Mattie asked, handing him a bowl of the porridge.

Surprise flickered across the boy's face, but he still said nothing. Nikolas noticed and turned slightly towards him. "We were told you were dead."

"I... no..."

Matthew gave him a reassuring smile. "Don't worry about any of us ever turning you in to Silovice. We're running too. Where are you headed?"

"Away. I don't know where... I was taken from the castle and escaped a few days ago. I've been running since."

Nikolas frowned slightly. "How long ago were you taken?"

"Around a month, I guess. I couldn't move past certain areas in the castle, so my sense of time isn't great... Everything kind of just blurred together."

This confused them both, but the healer recovered first. "You couldn't go places in your own castle?" Erik nodded a few times, taking a couple small bites of the breakfast.

Nikolas was staring at him. It was uncanny. "How old are you?"

"Twelve, almost thirteen."

Mattie nodded. "You are very young then. We are heading east, to Finland. Would you like to travel with us?"

"I... why? I'm a stranger."

Nik shook his head. "You're not."

Nikolas was only confusing the rest of the party, as he stared at the boy, examining him. "There's no reason for you not to." Mattie started. "One more prince won't make a difference in plans."

"One more?"

Mattie nodded at the boy. "Prince Gilbert Beilshmidt of the Kingdom of Germany and Prussia." He gestured to his lover. "And Prince Nikolas of the Norwegian Kingdom."

The Prussian grinned. "Awesome, right?"

But the boy ignored him, paying attention to the blonde man talking. "Then who are you?"

Matthew smiled gently. "Matthew Williams. I'm just a healer." He took another look at the tired boy and remembered. "Nothing special. But that reminds me, are you injured in any way?"

"Just a few scrapes. Everything else is mostly healed." Erik fidgeted in his place, feeling the piercing stare of the Norwegian prince. The question hung in the air. "Just a few sword-related wounds."

Matthew was appalled. "Who would do such a thing?" The fact that Erik was so young and had seen such cruelty was unacceptable.

"The men who kidnapped me. I'm not very good with swords, either, so I got hurt in training a lot, but that was before I was taken."

Mattie was about to say something but was cut off by a worried Nikolas. "You sure they're healed? You're not lying?" It was surprising to all, but Erik nodded at the prince.

The healer knew something was up with Nikolas but ignored it in favor of checking on the youngest prince. "Are any of the wounds still scabbing or bleeding?"

"On my back, but it's okay. It doesn't hurt."

Nikolas shared a look with the healer of the group. "Of course. Come with me, Erik." He held out a hand. "Let's make sure it's nothing serious."

Erik hesitantly took his hand but was easily led back into the tent, where the blonde saw to the mostly healed jagged wound.

Gil nudged the other prince. "So what's with being so worried about him?"

But he was brushed off easily. "Nothing." When the two returned from the tent, Nikolas examined both faces, trying to find anything to be worried about. "Better now?" The Icelander nodded once. "Good."

As the older ones in the group began to pack up the horses once again, the boy watched. "Why are you going to Finland?"

Nikolas didn't even hesitate. "Mathias is there." A questioning look from the boy prompted more response. "My knight and lover."

"Why is he in Finland?"

"...I got injured when his job was to protect me, and my father sent him away..." Erik was visibly affected by the tone of sadness in his voice and was about to say something, but the older cut him off. "I'm fine. I just want to get there."

Gilbert picked the boy up and put him on Nikolas's horse, the Norwegian easily climbing on behind. There was still something weighing on the boy, though. Something they could all tell was giving him trouble. "Tell me what's on your mind."

Erik looked up at him, not sure how he could tell. "I just- I know you... I think..."

"You _both_ seem to know each other." Gil interjected. "Nik, you're acting like you're his big brother or something. And you, kid, you seem to trust him the most. So what is it?" They both looked at him in surprise. "What?"

Nikolas dropped the Prussian's gaze. "I had a brother, but he was taken on my ninth birthday when he was three." Mattie was about to interject, but Nik cut him off by speaking again. "But you're Silovice's son."

"...It doesn't feel like it," Erik responded softly.

Here was where Mattie could put in his own opinion. "No one ever saw the prince until he was six in his country." He watched their reactions. "In fact, most didn't even know a prince had been born until the news of his 'death' got out."

Gilbert grinned. "Just accept it. Everything fits." Without a word, an arm tightened around the boy in the best hug he could give while still in the saddle. "The awesome me is awesome. I got the brothers reunited."

The two on the saddle ignored him, Erik whispering a soft, "Brother?"

Mattie poked his lover in the side. "Gil, don't intrude on their moment."

"Fine. Pretty awesome that after almost ten years they're back together, though, and we got to help." Red eyes grinned at the blonde.

"It is nice, Gil, and I'm sure they appreciate it, but right now it's the processing stage of their reunion."

Erik settled into his older brother's comforting hold. "What is our real father like?"

"He's wise but hot tempered. He's a good king though, just- I wish he could accept who I love."

"King Faere is very," Mattie searched for the best word he could use, "_protective_ of Nikolas."

"What do you mean?"

"I was very limited as to what I could do and when, for one thing."

"And," Matthew started. "The moment he saw Nikolas was hurt, he denounced Mathias and sent him away on the spot."

Erik looked back and forth between his brother and the other blonde. "I want to meet him." The Norwegian nodded as if to say, 'you will.'

"On the way back, if you and Mat end up staying there, Gil and I can take him."

Gil looked up again. "We can what now?"

"Take him to his father, Gil."

His lover gave him a disbelieving look. "Well, yeah, but we kind of disappeared with his son. Don't you think there might be trouble with that?"

"You don't have to go in. He won't recognize me; no one ever does." It was true. Most didn't realize that he was there in the room if he didn't want them to, and when he left a place, those there rarely remembered much about him, if anything at all. Mattie reached out and took the Prussian prince's hand, knowing the concerned look that was starting to spread across his alabaster face.

Erik glanced up at his brother as best he could. "I want to meet this Mathias too."

Nikolas nodded, wanting to see his lover as well. "We'll be there soon." But it was more for himself than for the young boy.

"What is he like?" For a man like Nikolas, Erik imagined a very refined, very quiet person, to match the Norwegian.

Nikolas smiled a tiny smile. "He's an idiot."

Gilbert laughed out at that. "He's completely head over heels for Nikolas."

This confused the little Icelander. "Why do you love him?"

"Because."

Mattie squeezed his Prussian's hand. "Love doesn't have to make sense. Love just is." Gilbert pressed back, grinning at his blonde. "I hope you find someone you love when you get a bit older, Erik. It is the best feeling."

"No, it's the awesomest feeling!"

Nikolas nodded, smiling very slightly at his little brother. Yeah. It really was the awesomest feeling.

**A/N: So that was cheesy and sweet and what did you guys think of me throwing little Icey in there? XD I love him when he's younger, he's so cute! Not as cute as a certain someone though~ *coughcoughgoreadStorytellercoughcough* Anyhoo~! I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and are having a wonderful day!**


	10. Knight and Birdie

**A/N: Thank you to: NordicFlags, YaoiPhox, maleny, jasdevi's secret sissy, sweetfirehoney, hannahnoelz, **

**Special Announcement!**** Whoever is the 50****th**** reviewer gets a request fic! I will PM the 50****th**** and you let me know what pairing you would like and what kind of fic you would like. This can only be a oneshot (sorry), and it can't be the result of a spam of reviews from the same person. If you do that, it's counted as one. There will be a second prize at the 100****th**** review which is a twoshot of the person's choice. If we get past 100, (which would be amazing, just omg.) then we'll see what else I can do for people. **

**Also another announcement:**** If you want to know how long it's going to be for the next chapter to come out, I'm now putting up estimates on my profile, on the list of my current stories. **

A small blonde man sat on the throne, adorned in light blue robes, an easy smile on his face, a small white dog asleep in a little red bed next to the ornate throne. "So we now have Prince Erik of Iceland, Prince Gilbert of the German kingdom, and Prince Nikolas of Norway as well as a healer, Matthew Williams, correct?"

"Full title would be the awesome Prince Gilbert, but that'll work for now," Gil corrected.

"I'd like to welcome you to my castle. I am Prince Tino Vainamoinen." He made a gesture toward his attendants. "Well, I'll have an attendant show you to your rooms. I believe, Prince Gilbert, that you will request a room with Matthew, correct?" He smiled knowingly at the couple.

"No question there." Gilbert grinned. "How'd you know?"

"It's obvious. And it shall be done." He looked at the youngest of the group and nodded to his attendant. "Send him to be taken care of. Baths, new clothes, the whole thing." The attendants led all but the Norwegian away. "Prince Nikolas? May I speak with you a moment? If you do not mind, that is."

Nikolas nodded, curious.

"I understand you have come here to seek a knight of my court?" Nikolas, although he'd never admit it, ached to see the Dane again. Tino seemed to read his silence and the look in his eyes as a yes. "He is in the courtyard if you still seek him." He pointed to the doorway where light shined.

"Thank you." He tried to keep his decorum, but when he reached the doorway and spotted the top of the sitting knight's head, he stopped. "Mathias…" Nikolas breathed.

Mathias looked up at the sound and stood immediately. "Nikolas!" He rushed over and pulled the man into his arms, hugging him tightly. Nik's arms wrapped around his neck, pressing his face into the man's chest, breathing him in once again. Mat pulled back only for a second to press kisses all over his lover's face, so happy to see him and be able to hold him once again.

"Idiot." Nikolas smiled softly. Mat shook his head and pressed his lips against the other's, feeling like he was at home once again.

"I missed you so much, Nikolas."

"I missed you too."

Mathias hugged him tight again. "How was the trip? Are you okay? Did you get hurt? Did you meet anyone fun on the road? Were Mattie and Gil good to you? Did Gil piss you off too much? Was Mattie able to rein him in? Are you hungry? Did you eat well?"

Nikolas couldn't help but hold his tiny smile at his lover. "Calm down, idiot. I'm fine, and so are the others, including my brother."

The Dane cocked his head to the side. "Your brother?" His tone showed just how confused that statement made him. "You said you didn't have siblings."

"Because I didn't want to bring it up. He was taken when he was young, and I partially blamed myself for it." Mat nodded a few times. "You should know, though, that he is king Silovice's 'dead' prince. His name is Erik."

"Okay, your trip was way more interesting than mine."

Nikolas nodded, pulling himself closer to his lover. "Speaking of which, how have you been?"

"Missing you nonstop."

***Mini transition***

"Hi Erik! It's great to meet you."

The Icelandic boy stared up at the knight, completely silent, eyes scrutinizing. "Say hi," his older brother said softly.

"Hi." The boy's voice was similar to Nikolas's. Mathias could see resemblance in more than a couple features.

"Crazy that you two found each other after all this time." Nikolas smiled a small smile and nodded. Erik just stared at the Dane, unsettling him. "So Erik, what do you like to do?" He asked, trying to connect with the young prince, even a little. If he was with this guy's older brother, Mathias was going to have to act like an older brother too.

"Not much." The boy paused before Nik gestured for him to continue. "I guess reading, playing viola, and being with Nikolas."

Mathias smiled; he could understand the want to be around Nikolas. He enjoyed it a lot himself. "Your brother is pretty amazing, huh?"

Erik turned his eyes to his older brother. "What are we going to do now?"

"We'll just be taking it easy until other plans are made."

Erik bobbed his head a little, but worry began to creep up on him. The nice blonde man, Matthew, and the annoying one, Gilbert, had offered to take him back to his real parents. Matthew claimed it was on their way back home anyway and they didn't mind him coming along. Nikolas had just sat there during that conversation. What if he wanted Erik gone? What if he really didn't want his little brother back? "You won't make me leave with them, right?" His voice was softer. Scared.

"No. Not if you don't want to." Nikolas examined the younger man's face, seeming to read his thoughts. "It will all work out somehow."

The Icelander looked between his brother and the knight, a thought forming. "Mathias? How far away is your room?"

Mat blinked a moment, startled by the question. "At the end of the hall, I believe, last one on the left."

"It won't be too hard for you to say goodnight to my brother, then, before you go to bed," Erik said, a bit smug, suggesting that Nikolas would be staying with him and not the Dane.

Nikolas shook his head, though. "I'll be staying with Mathias."

"But…."

"Like you said, it's not hard to say goodnight. We won't be that far if you really needed me." Mathias wisely stayed silent, not wanting to say something stupid. Erik was quiet as well, pouting a little. "I'm not changing my mind unless this idiot gives me any reason to."

The knight gave his lover a 'what did I do?!' look, but the lover ignored it.

Dinner was called throughout the castle, and the trio made their way back to the main dining hall with the assistance of the Dane.

"So," The Prussian prince drawled as they entered. "How did the reunion go? Was it what you had imagined?"

Mattie quickly shushed his lover. "Gil, hush. That's personal."

"I still want to know if my guesses were close, though."

Nikolas shook his head, but Mat was intrigued. "Guesses?"

The Norwegian gestured for his little brother to sit as he explained. "He tried to guess what I thought would happen."

"Why?"

Gilbert gave the knight a look. "You know how boring it gets when you're stuck in a homophobic castle for two weeks? I had to spend time with the animals because someone freaked out and called me a demon! The awesome me is not a demon!"

Mathias chuckled. "That explains the bird then."

The Prussian looked at him funny. "What bird?"

Nikolas glanced over to the albino. "On your head." Erik nodded in agreement as he noticed the bird sitting in the white hair.

"There is no bird on my head!"

Mattie gently placed a hand on his arm. "Gil. You have a little yellow bird in your hair."

"No there is-" White hands reached up into his hair and was startled by the texture that was definitely not his hair. "Why is there a bird on my head?!" Matthew laughed gently and stroked the little guy's feathers. Gilbert paused, trying to look up at it, then cupped his hands underneath it, taking it off so he could look at the little yellow puffball. He grinned, and held him a bit closer. "Gilbird. It chose to escape with the awesome me and stayed hidden this long, so it gets an awesome name."

Mattie could only coo softly at how cute he found the little bird when Erik spoke up. "Puffins are better."

Mathias nodded and was about to agree when Nikolas interrupted him. "Will Tino and your brother be joining us?" Another nod and, like they had been waiting for a cue, the Prince Tino walked in, a hulking blonde man on his arm. Crude glasses sat upon his nose and covered his piercing eyes.

The Norwegian could certainly see the resemblance between the man and his lover. The stature was very similar, and the glint in his eyes was something Nikolas knew he could catch in Mathias's own eyes. Their facial structure was also very much alike.

The Norwegian could think this man handsome but not attractive to his own tastes. That didn't seem to be an issue for the little Finn, however. "Hey, you two." Mathias smiled at them from his spot.

The whole party stood, and Tino ushered them back into their seats. "No need, no need. Nearly everyone here is the same in rank, and if they aren't, I certainly don't care what they think they are." Now, he had a specific reason for saying this. Tino had grown up with all of them: Mathias, Berwald, Matthew, Alfred. And he was a bit older and a bit more like an older sibling or a, dare he say it, mothering figure, to the twins, who were, in his defense, quite a few years younger. But beyond that, he had never treated either of the twins as less than equal. His father had taught him that all people were, and some were just born luckier than others.

Mathias grinned wide and swept an arm out, presenting. "Nikolas, Erik, Gilbert," He gestured to each in turn. "Meet the crown prince of Finland, Tino, and his personal knight, lover, and most importantly, my brother, Berwald." He gestured to the party, looking straight at his brother. "Ber, Tino, meet my lover Nikolas, his younger brother Erik, and Mattie's lover Gilbert."

Nikolas bowed to the prince and the man. "It's good to finally meet."

Berwald's low grumble came as he sat next to his prince. "Yes. It is. I have heard many things."

Whether those were good or bad was really not able to be determined. Mat just shrugged, knowing the secrets to his brother's speech and mannerisms, obviously not troubled by anything said or seen.

The others seemed to take this as a good sign, and a motion from the Finn was the cue for the servants waiting nearby to serve the meal.

"Nikolas, Erik, how was your trip?" Tino had heard from the healer already but wanted to make sure that the other two travelers were recovering from the hard road.

"Uneventful for the most part, though I was reunited with my brother because of it." Nikolas looked around the room subtly. "I assume you know about the men chasing me?"

Tension made its way into the room. The Finnish Prince took this very seriously. "Mathias told us all about it, and we have taken precautions. Many, many precautions."

"So!" Gilbert started after a long moment of silence. "What about you two?" He gestured to the couple at the head of the table. "Care to share how that happened? How did you get together?"

Mathias groaned. "Gil. Seriously?"

Tino laughed, knowing how many times the Dane had heard their long story of awkwardness and crushes. So simply, he just replied with, "Childhood romance."

Erik and Nikolas finished their food first, probably because they didn't speak much. The elder of the two noticed the boy's eyes drooping. "I'll be back. I'm going to get Erik to bed."

"'M okay" the boy protested, rubbing at one eye.

The peppiest of the princes smiled at him. "Go get some rest; you've had a long day."

Slowly, the room emptied, leaving Berwald and Tino to themselves. It was nice to have a full castle again.

Mathias was changing out of his day wear when delicate arms wrapped around him from behind, hugging him. Mat smiled and turned around, his own arms cocooning the Norwegian. "It took too long to get here." Nikolas took his hands and pulled him over to the plush bed, maneuvering the Dane around him once more. "Mathias?" A second of pause before he continued. "What would you have done if I hadn't been able to come back?"

Without a hint of hesitation, the Dane tightened his arms. "I would have gone to your castle and stolen you away."

"What if something had happened to me?"

"Hurt or killed?"

"The latter."

"I don't know what I would have done. My life would never have been the same." He didn't even want to think of a life without his love.

They lay there in each other's holds, just so relieved to finally have a moment alone, together. To be able to hold one another again.

A little voice piped up from the cracked open doorway. "N-Nikolas? I... had a bad dream." Nikolas sat up and the boy ran to him, latching on to him. "I want to stay with you tonight." Nikolas nodded while the Dane watched, concerned for Erik.

Until, that is, the boy's face set on the Dane, a smirk on his lips. Mathias's jaw dropped. Erik was faking? What a brat!

Nikolas helped his brother onto the bed, and Erik promptly got in between the two adults. Mat was just barely able to resist narrowing his eyes at the boy. Erik looked up at him innocently, a gleam of the mischief still in his eyes. "You know," Mathias started, looking for a way to distract the boy, "when I was little and had a bad dream, my brother and I would go out and look at star constellations, and he'd tell me stories until I got tired." Erik tried to stop his curiosity but was unable to help it. "Do you want to try that?**"**

A small nod came from the Icelander, and Nikolas wrapped him up in a blanket as they went out to the balcony, pushing past the glass doors and curtains. "Now look up at the sky. What do you see?"

Mathias saw a story.

**A/N: Hah! Writers block shall not defeat me! Though summer just might. It's way too hot here. Maybe not for those who live closer to the equator but its hotter than usual this summer and I don't like it! Nor does my precious fishy Ollie. Either way, I hope you enjoyed it, and yes Ice is being a brat. That's intentional.**


	11. Knight and Balance Master

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm sorry that this one is a bit shorter but I didn't want to stretch it out any longer. I actually had another page of stuff that I cut out cause I didn't want to drag these scenes out. Thank you to: NordicFlags, jasdevi's secret sissy, Eresevet,** **Aabluedragon, hibri-lqa, Kitsunewolfsama, TheShadowBoo, and Grace Twerklland.**

The little Icelander woke up slowly, rubbing at his eyes. He pulled out of his brother's hold and looked at the couple in the bed, glaring at the Dane. Erik reached over and starting shaking the older man awake, even going so far as to shove Mat's head away.

That woke him up with a jolt. "You okay, Erik?" His voice was still sleepy.

Erik's whispered voice came through and was processed by Mathias's sleep-fuzzy brain. "Wake up and stop disturbing Nikolas's sleep."

"Whaddya mean?" He paused, sitting up a little. "Is something wrong?"

Erik shook his head. "No... I don't know... not with him, anyway."

"Are _you_ okay?"

A little sniffle came from the boy. "I... I wasn't lying when I said I had a bad dream."

Mathias gently removed his arms from around his lover, trying not to wake him up, then grabbed a spare blanket and wrapped the boy in it, picking him up and bringing him out on the balcony on which they had listened to stories the night previous. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"You're going to take care of him, right? You won't let anything happen?"

Mathias nodded, kneeling down to the boy's level. "I would never let anything happen while I am able to stop it."

Erik sat down, pulling his knees to his chest. "But what if you can't? What if you're defenseless? What if you have to just stand there and watch, unable to do anything?"

Mat was surprised by this and placed a hand on his shoulder, rubbing it comfortingly. "Hey, I can promise that even if I am defenseless, I would fight until they killed me before I let anyone or anything hurt him."

The boy started shaking a little. "But what if I was the one standing there and you were nowhere close? I... I don't want to see that! I don't want to have to watch him get killed...! I... I…."

Mathias nodded a little, knowing what the boy was going through. "Let's ask Nikolas, and we'll see if I can teach you a little about fighting. I'm sure you learned some already, but considering Silovice didn't want you escaping, you probably weren't taught much." The little Icelander nodded. "It'll all be okay, Erik. The fight is almost over, and all of us will be able to stop running and go back to our true home."

"Ask him if you can teach me."

Mat shook his head. "Erik, if you want to do this, you need to ask him yourself. So he knows that it's what you want."

Nikolas walked out, joining them. "So I know that what is what he wants?"

"I want Mathias to train me."

This surprised the older brother. "Why?"

"I just want to be able to fight just in case."

Nikolas frowned at the boy. "If Silovice's men come, you're not fighting them." He would be sure of that.

Erik really wanted this. "But what if it's just to defend myself?"

As the guardian of the Icelander, Nikolas really wanted to be able to protect him. He couldn't stand the way his little brother looked. It was hard to see the fear in Erik's eyes. "Then I guess it's fine, but you must promise to use it only for defense." Nikolas looked at his lover. "You'll start with basics. You master those, and then we'll talk."

Erik was about to protest, but Mat put a hand on his shoulder. "Erik, I can assure you that the basics are what keep you safe. All of those puffed-up soldiers all think they know so many fancy moves, but they forget basic maneuvers and positions. That is one of the reasons they never make it to Capitan or General."

Erik paused, then nodded. "When can we start?"

Nikolas looked at the two. "Mathias. Teach me how to cook."

Well, Mathias had a long day ahead of him. A _long_ day.

***Mini transition***

Mathias picked up a couple of training dummies and a sword meant for new recruits. "So, contrary to your probable belief, I am _not_ going to let you even touch one of these" – he held up a sword – "for the first entire day."

Erik frowned at the man in front of him. "Why not?

"Because you have to learn first."

"I've learned a little already at the castle, though."

Mat's eyebrow raised. "What did you learn?"

"Just some basics." Now Erik wouldn't meet his gaze.

"What did you learn?" The boy looked down. "Yeah. That's what I thought. Okay, Erik, just remember, I can't teach you something you already know, but don't make yourself or your old teachers look like a fool by claiming knowledge you don't have. It doesn't help."

Mathias set the boy up properly and showed him how to hold himself, moving him constantly, actually sounding like the knight he was. "When you punch, don't move your feet, just your upper torso."

"Right." A man cried out near Nikolas, getting punched in the gut.

Mathias blinked. "Good job?"

"He was getting too close." Nik hadn't even bothered to look up from his book.

Mathias just shrugged and turned back to the Icelander. "So try again, Erik." He did, punching Mat in the chest again. "Much better. Have you ever kicked anyone? As a smaller child, when frustrated?"

"Of course." He had also gotten in a ton of trouble for doing so.

"Don't do it, ever. It's very ineffective. Most military men cover their knees, and that's where kicks end up going." The boy nodded, and they worked on stances and hand-to-hand combat things.

"Okay. Good job so far." Mathias put his sword back into his sheath. "Nikolas, are you ready for your lesson?"

The Norwegian sighed and closed his book. "I guess."

"Erik, do you want to watch and maybe learn a couple things that way?" Erik nodded. "Then follow me!"

Both brothers followed the Dane, a few steps behind. Nikolas looked at the younger as they walked. "Good job."

"Thank you." Erik glanced up at the knight who was whistling softly, pretending not to listen in. "He's a good teacher, I guess. I want to use a sword, though."

Nikolas shook his head. "Take your time. He has the right idea."

They arrived at the kitchens, and Mathias held up a hand to stop them from going in. "You guys wait here a moment. I have to go do a quick 'hey, haven't seen you in like three years' thing and make sure we can actually borrow part of the kitchens."

Nikolas nodded. "There's no reason to rush, anyway. Hopefully Silovice's men won't track us down anytime soon, and if they do, they can be held off by whatever Tino has planned."

Erik was more worried than that. "But what if..."

A shake of his head. "It'll be fine. Just follow his lessons and don't rush."

Mat's head poked out of the door, pleasant laughter floating from inside. "We're good. Come on in." He was certainly smiling. The brothers walked in, looking all around. "Guys, this is Feliciano. He is the cook here, and he is letting us use a part of his kitchen for the lessons." He turned to the little copper-headed Italian. "Feli, this is Nikolas and his younger brother Erik."

"It's wonderful to meet you, ve~!"

Mat leaned against one of the counters. "So do you think we could make some halibut and then make Danishes?"

"Of course! it will be easy and fun, ve~! Do you want any help?"

Mat gave him his usual winning grin. "Sure, Feli. Do you think you can find the ingredients for us?"

The Italian happily bounced off to do so, and Mat's smile dropped. "Guys." Mathias's generally loud voice was lowered to nearly a whisper. "I think Prince Ludwig may be near here. You know, Gil's younger brother?"

**A/N: duhn!Duhn! Duhnnnnnnnn! If Ludwig is there, what could it mean for Gilbert and his lover? How were they found? Does this mean anything for Mathias and Nikolas? Has Ludwig become yet another run-away prince?*shrugs* I guess you'll see. Review please!**


	12. Knight and Little Brother

**A/N:… Yeah I really have nothing to say other than I love my beta to pieces. Continue on!**

Mathias kept the Italian sitting with a stern look. "So what brings you here, Feli?"

Feliciano shook his head, looking worried. Nikolas stood next to his lover. "Are you on the run too? Or do you have another reason?"

"Please," Feliciano begged. "I was told not to tell." Both adults kept up a hard look until the little redhead broke down. "Okay!" He sighed softly. "Luddy will be so mad that I told you. We heard Prince Gilbert was in the area."

"Feli, do you know why Gil left?" Feliciano shook his head. "He fell in love."

Feliciano brightened considerably. "That is amazing! I never would have guessed! Is he here?"

They all nodded. Mathias looked over at his prince. "We should probably go find Gil, tell him that his brother is here."

Nikolas nodded and they left, Erik having wandered off already, bored. "Hopefully their reunion will go smoothly. Though I doubt it." Feliciano looked like he wanted to follow but was busy with another cook in the kitchen.

Mathias grimaced but spotted the Prussian prince soon enough. "Gil!"

Gilbert turned, grinning when he saw the couple. "Hey Mat! What's up? Enjoying making up lost time?"

"Gil, serious time," Mat started. "Feli is here. Which means, so is Ludwig."

Gilbert's already pale skin went even whiter, if possible. "I... uh... crap. He's going to kill me." He laughed nervously and ran a hand through his white hair. "Maybe I should just hide. Forever."

Nikolas shook his head. "You should talk to him."

"But I'm too awesome to die!"

Nikolas interjected, shaking his head slowly. "I don't think he'd come all this way to kill you, Gilbert."

"Gilbert!" The blonde healer walked over, seeing the group. He was smiling until he saw the Prussian's face. "What's wrong?"

"I'd say goodbye to me now. I'm doomed. My brother's here."

"He'll be happy to see you, right?" Mattie remembered the other prince from the Germanic kingdoms. Not a fun thing to remember.

"We'll see." Gilbert took his lover's hand tightly.

"Prince Gilbert!" The little Italian cook came running at the Prussian, tackling him with a hug.

Gilbert laughed, and Mathias turned to his lover. "How does everyone keep finding us? It's not a small castle." Nikolas shrugged.

"How've you been, Feli?"

Feliciano pulled away a little, smiling at his lover's older brother. "Happy. I mean- worried about you, too, but really, really happy!"

Gilbert laughed again, ruffling the red hair on the boy's head. "You're always happy. How's West been?" Gil worried a lot about his little brother. He didn't want to bring it up much, but sometimes he had to wonder if his brother missed him as much as he did Ludwig.

"He's been better." Gilbert didn't know what to say to Feli. "I suppose he's been happy at points, but he misses you!" The albino was poked hard in the chest. "Oh, we have to get you to Luddy!" Feliciano grabbed the Prussian's hand and started dragging him toward the housing area of the castle. Gilbert quickly snatched his lover's hand and pulled him along.

The Danish knight looked at Nikolas, and they both shrugged and followed the Italian.

They were all taken to a room near the end of the cooking staff's housing hall. "Luddy!" Feli burst into the room.

"Yes, Feliciano?" A young man sat in one of the chairs by the fire, reading a book. This man looked nothing like Gilbert. He was a lot taller, his hair was shockingly blonde and slicked back, and his skin was nearly as pale, but his build was much larger. He had wide-set shoulders that melded into an equally wide-set chest.

"Hey, West."

Ludwig's head shot up from his book. "Bruder?" He sounded unsure, as if he couldn't believe that he had actually found him. Gilbert nodded once. Ludwig got up, his book falling to the ground as he crossed the room to hug him tight for a moment. "East." He pulled away, looking the Prussian over. "Where have you been!?"

"I fell in love, West. I wasn't meant to rule, anyway. The awesome me shouldn't be confined to a castle."

Ludwig frowned. He needed his brother to come home. "It's your throne, your crown. You were meant to rule."

Gilbert pushed his brother back a little. "You take it. I'd rather just continue my awesome life like it is now."

Ludwig shook his head, grabbing the Prussian by the shoulders. "I don't want your crown, bruder! Vati and I both know it's not for me. The only one who can rule your kingdom is you! Vati even got over the fact that you did not want to marry a princess! He got over it when I didn't."

Gil sighed and looked at his lover. "What do you think?"

Mattie's voice was almost softer than usual. "You need to do what you need to do."

"I'm going to do what you want me to."

"Gil. I love you, and you know that. I want you to do what _you_ want to do. I want you to do what you have to, what you need to do."

Gilbert looked all around at his friends and family at that. He took a deep breath and grinned. "Guess I'm going to be king then." Gil pulled away from his brother and grabbed his lover, wrapping his arms around him tight. "It'll only be an awesome kingdom if I have my awesome queen, though." Mattie smiled a bit at him. Castles weren't for Matthew, but he could do it for Gilbert.

"When are you going to be able to go back home, East?" Gilbert looked over at his little brother. and the German man continued. "I need to know so I can plan out everything."

"Luddy, you can be so stuffy. Let yourself enjoy the vacation while you are here. You need to relax and just go with the flow. I need to go" – Gilbert grinned at his lover suggestively – "talk with my future queen, anyway."

Nikolas looked over to his own lover. "I should go find my brother. We left without saying anything."

"Now he'll have more of a reason to be mad at me." Mathias glanced at the others. "Please excuse us."

The Dane sighed as they left, heading back toward the kitchens. "I'm sure if you two just talk, you can sort things out."

"I really hope so." They looked all around the kitchens and the area surrounding, finally finding the boy in a corner under a window, a puffin sitting next to him.

"Erik?"

The boy didn't even look up. "You left me."

"I know, I'm sorry, but we came back -"

"He made you, didn't he?" Erik's head rose to glare at the Dane.

Nikolas shook his head. "No, Erik-"

"Don't defend him. You wouldn't have just left me."

Mathias sighed and took a step forward. "Yeah, it was my fault. I'm sorry. I wanted to make sure that Gilbert knew that his brother was here."

Erik stood up, holding his puffin to his chest. "You didn't have to take Nikolas to do it."

"Erik. Don't be upset with him for things you don't like. I went by choice." The Norwegian watched his little brother's silent glare. "Go to your room. I'll be up to talk with you later."

"But-!"

Nikolas held up a hand. "Go, Erik." The little Icelander glared for a moment longer, obviously blaming the Dane for it, then ran out of the hall and to his room. Nikolas sighed and leaned on his lover. "Give him a few minutes, then go up and talk with him."

They made plans to meet in the library when Mathias was done and separated. Mat walked over to the Icelander's room, knocking on the heavy door solidly. "Come in."

"Erik. We need to talk." The Dane closed the door behind him, seeing the boy on his bed look up in surprise at the sound of his voice, having expected Nikolas. "Niko asked me to talk to you because we are both curious as to why you hate me. It worries him. And it worries me."

Erik frowned and turned away. "So I'll talk with him then. Not you."

"No, Erik. You're going to tell me." The knight's voice was unusually stern. "If you talk to Nikolas, I have a feeling that you won't be entirely truthful with him."

Erik huffed angrily. "You're wrong. You know nothing about me."

"Then tell me what you would tell him. Prove me wrong. Pretend I were him. Tell me exactly what you would tell him."

The boy sighed and was silent for more than a couple minutes. "I don't like it."

"You don't like what?"

"You together."

"Why?" He saw Erik start to say something noncommittal and stopped him. "You have to have a reason, and neither of us is leaving this room until you tell me." Mathias leaned against the door lazily. The boy started to mutter an irritated response and still refused to face the Dane. "What was that?"

"He's my brother... you're always with him... and it's not fair."

"What do you mean?" He paused, letting it all in, no longer quite believing what he heard. "Wait, are you telling me that all of that resentment was the fact that I spend time with him, and you haven't decided that you can be around us when we're together?"

Erik looked at him again, annoyance very prevalent in his eyes. "I don't want to be with both of you. I want to be with Nikolas. I don't like you touching him. I don't like that he's fine with it. I don't completely trust you, and I don't like that I don't have a choice."

Mathias sighed. He knew what that was like. With heavy steps he made his way over to the bed, sitting down on the edge of the plush bed. "Erik, believe it or not, I actually do understand. No, I admit that I was never separated from my brother when I was young. But I do have an older brother, and he has this boyfriend. At first, when Berwald started liking Tino, I hated him. I hated Tino for taking my brother away. I hated Berwald for letting himself be taken so easily. I even hated myself for hating them, hated the fact that if I said something, Berwald would have backed away and never gone for Tino. But that would have been cruel. To take away his love that was being given and the love he received in return."

Erik was silent a long while, watching the Dane's face for any traces of deception, but eventually he nodded.

"I understand what you're thinking because I was probably thinking the same thing when I was only a year or two older than you are now." The boy was still quiet, but his eyes were a lot less hateful. "Look, Erik, I'm sorry that you grew up the way you did. I'm sorry that you were mistreated. I'm sorry that you've had to deal with everything you have. I'm sorry that you don't like me, and I'm sorry that you haven't had much alone time with Nikolas since you guys got here, but I am not sorry that you're both here. I know that it's hard to see your brother with another, especially since you just found him and you're bound to feel possessive and angry and jealous around those who have either had more time or are spending time that you want with him. But you have to remember, the rest of us care too. I love him, you love him, a different kind of love, I grant you, but the concept is still the same. You aren't the only one who wants to spend time with him. Have you ever loved someone, Erik?"

The Icelander shook his head.

"Well, it's an amazing feeling. But it's also crushing. The amount of almost physical pain that you go through when you don't know where the one you love is, it's killer. The longer you're separated, the worse it gets. That month that I spent getting here and waiting was – it was very, very hard. I missed him so much."

Erik sat up more. "You didn't have years separating you, though."

The Dane shrugged a little. "No, you're right. I didn't. But neither did you. Not really."

The boy frowned. "What do you mean?"

"You didn't know that he was your brother, so you couldn't have missed him. I'm sure now you really want to make up for lost time, and yes, I know you want to be with him alone more, but so do I. I don't think either of us really prepared for having to give up time. And given the warning, I probably still wouldn't. Would you?"

"No."

"Here's where we need to decide a couple things, and then we need to talk to Nikolas." And they talked a little longer, the conversation ending much better than it had started.

*Awesome Transition*

"Mathias." Nikolas stroked his lover's hair as the Dane's head rested in his lap. "What would you do if I were able to go back to my kingdom and take the throne as king?"

Mat's eyes opened. "I would ask if that was what you wanted to do."

"And if I did? Somehow I can't see you as a queen."

Mathias's easy laugh came out. "No, I'm pretty sure I can't be a queen."

"I was just thinking about Gilbert and Matthew's case and what it would be like in that situation if it were us. It's impossible, though."

"If you still wanted me around, I would still be your personal knight."

Nikolas glared a little at the Dane in his lap. "Don't say 'if'. You know I would." He then seemed to think of something and shook his head. "Actually, I changed my mind. I don't want you as my knight." Mathias looked at him, confused. "I want more."

"What do you want?"

"To be married." A faint blush came upon the Norwegian's cheeks.

"Do you really?" A huge grin was on the Dane's lips. Nikolas only had to nod once before the knight spoke again. "Name a date, then."

Nikolas pushed him off his lap with a small smile, then grabbed his hand and pulled him up and into a kiss.

Mathias grinned wider, kissing back happily before pulling away and writing a quick note. He left it there and picked up his lover, heading straight to their room.

Later on, Erik walked into the library. "Nikolas?" He found the piece of paper and read it aloud. "'Hey Erik, just wanted to let you know that Niko and I are going to be busy for the rest of the night. The reason I tell you this is so you don't worry. If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask Prince Tino or Mattie.'"

Erik sighed and looked down at his puffin. "What am I supposed to do now?" But the puffin didn't answer. He just blinked at the Icelander. "That's not helpful."

**A/N: Not another runaway prince! So hah! I'm pretty sure… no I'm absolutely sure that Ice was the last one…. I think. Oh well! I hope you enjoyed this one, feel free to review! (There are prizes in store if you do!)**


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